It’s no secret that effectiveness and readiness are critical for mission success of any training program to prepare the warfighter for mission success. Modern warfare and its highly technical, cross-border, cross-domain world is placing new demands on simulation and training systems for both aerospace and defense. To get ahead of the evolution of technology, training is on the cusp of a major shift in which interoperability plays a critical role. With this in mind, experts in the simulation and training industry have identified a few ways to achieve greater interoperability. Here are four ways to consider:

Develop Standards and Industry Consensus

Standardization – across all formats – is the key to preparing and presenting effective training. With proprietary systems, too much time and money goes into training the participant on how to operate the simulation system.

To avoid the cumbersome nature of proprietary systems, a number of organizations are leading standardization efforts for training simulation, including: the Simulation Interoperability Standards Organization, the National Training and Simulation Association, and the European Training and Simulation Association.

Currently, several examples of standards, protocols, languages and practices are being evaluated and tested to enhance standards for interoperability in simulation systems, including:

• WebLVC, which enables passing simulation data between web-based client applications and a WebLVC server.
• Common Image Generator Interface, which provides interoperability in networking environments.
• Layer Simulation Architecture, which enables interoperability in networking environments.

Require Open Systems for True Interoperability

Another key to enabling true interoperability is to require that database and hardware developers use open, non-proprietary architectures. This not only will ensure the seamless progression of simulation capabilities across platforms, but also will help customers save time and money.

Ensure that Information is Secure

Increased use and reliance on network-based training is critical to preparing today’s warfighter in budget-constrained environments. It also presents greater opportunities for cyber attacks on these systems for the confidential data they carry. As training and information is moved to the network, security measures must be put into place to ensure that assets are secure.

Require Interoperability in Future Technologies

Next-generation simulation system providers and the military must endeavor to make interoperability a primary capability to achieve the high level of training and simulation needed for both today’s and tomorrow’s warfighters.

Some of the current solutions that are in place to achieve this include:

• Cloud-based systems for network and cross-domain/ multi-national training
• One-world databases, including “human terrain” databases illustrating political, social and economic climates
• Future holistic training environments
• Advanced night-vision helmet-mounted displays, as well as other wearable training systems, for operations and training applications

With the adoption of secure, open and interoperable systems, the simulation and training industry is preparing for the future by  leveraging exciting new capabilities to increase mission readiness and safety and minimizing costs.