Closing In On a Human Representation Reference Model
SISO Spring 2007 Simulation Interoperability Workshop
(07S-SIW-066)
Representing humans in simulation has become a progressively more important consideration in simulation development and execution. In particular, increased emphasis within the Department of Defense on non-kinetic operations has focused attention on the need for kinetic and cognitive representations of individuals and groups.
The past few years has seen the deployment of many game engines that include human representation, as well as the emergence of specialized “people engines”. As these engines have proliferated, so too have the approaches to representing individuals and groups. Today, there is no generally agreed ontology or vocabulary for describing human representation; there is no common point of departure for discussions among kinesthetic and cognitive researchers, simulation developers, and simulation users.
A human representation reference model is an organization of the fundamental elements of human representation, their relationship to human models, and the relation of human models to other represented objects on the simulation. A reference model provides an itemization of human representation elements to focus discussion and interchange, a structure to guide further specification in design, and a foundation for interoperability between human representation implementations.
This paper discusses the purpose of reference models in simulation, the need for a human representation model, and considerations in developing a human representation reference model. A reference model is postulated and described. Finally, the paper discusses applications of a human representation reference model to research and to simulation design and development.
Christopher Chadbourne
VisiTech, Ltd.
Donna W. Blake
VisiTech, Ltd.
