Unified Synoptics System

1
Unified Synoptics System

• Preparation and Operational Use of Synoptic
  Displays with the Unified Synoptic System USS

2
Overview

• Developed within the Columbus project for
  replacing the existing legacy solutions in order
  to unify the different synoptic displays (a.k.a.
  synoptics) used on-board ISS and on-ground.
• Free of charge for all ESA projects.
• Import of different synoptics formats is
  provided.
• Delivers large library of elements and symbols
  can be extended by import of graphical vector and
  bitmap data.
• Elements with more complex dynamic behaviour can
  be developed in Java programming language.
• Open interfaces (CORBA, XML)
• Command and measurement handling adoptable to
  user/project needs
• USS allows for reduced effort for
• synoptic preparation
• synoptic verification
• test operational use
• maintenance

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Architecture

• Written in 100 pure Java and can therefore run
  on all platforms for which Java support is
  available
• Installed and tested under Linux, Solaris and MS
  Windows XP, but should work on other platforms as
  well
• USS consists of
• USS shared components library (implements the USS
  domain model and the Java user interface panel)
• On top of this library the two user applications
  (USS Editor and USS Executor) are developed
• Uses a large set of open source libraries and
  selected commercial libraries (commercial
  libraries do not imply any runtime license costs
  for USS)
• Full source code for the overall system is
  available to ensure future maintenance of the
  product for at least 10 years in the Columbus
  project

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Synoptic Preparation

• State-of-the-art user interface similar to well
  known office and drawing tools like MS Visio.
• Editor works online on the Columbus mission
  database or standalone on a file system.
• System configuration data is accessed via a
  specific XML format
• Drag and Drop from system configuration browser
• Display author can select one or multiple
  measurements and drop it on a display.
• For every data field a name label and the
  according unit label are created from one of the
  measurement names.
• Name labels are bound to the data fields and can
  be automatically updated if the system
  configuration changes.

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USS EditorEditing some synoptics (mimic displays)
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Synoptic Verification

• Automatic verification can be performed with the
  build- in consistency checker.
• Checks a single display or a set of displays
  according to a certain system configuration
  version and operational nomenclature standards
  (e.g. spelling, allowed acronyms and
  abbreviations).
• After the check a report is generated showing
  every consistency violation and the list of
  checked synoptics.

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Synoptics HTML Report for desktop review

• Manual verification of displays can additionally
  be performed by using the web based display
  reports.
• Display reports contain the display preview with
  markers that link a certain dynamic element with
  the according (telemetry) data source and command
  buttons command details.

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USS Executor

• Designed for high usability and performance.
• The USS Executor is tailored to the special needs
  of operations teams in control centres and test
  facilities.
• Colours, fonts and indicators for monitoring and
  acquisition status are easily configurable for
  certain target specific target systems in by
  means of a global or a user defined configuration
  file.
• Layout of a predefined set of displays can be
  saved and re-loaded later (e.g as a. set of
  displays for certain subsystem or activity).
  Display size and zoom settings are also restored.
• Full status indication to the user
• Current mission time
• Connection status to monitoring and control
  system
• Overall monitoring status of single displays and
  for all open displays (see yellow indicators in
  image above)
• Synoptics performance and update indication

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USS Executor imported synoptics (ground textual
displays, ISS onboard displays procedural
display)
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USS Executor Commanding

• Commanding capabilities benefit from the large
  experience for commanding critical systems in the
  onboard domain.
• Different types of commands are supported
  single-step and two-step commanding, guarded
  commands and also parameterized commands.
• The last four issued commands and their execution
  status are shown in the synoptic command response
  window

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On-the-fly graph and configuration data access

• During synoptics execution it is possible to
  generate new graphs on-the-fly.
• Show real-time and historical time series data
  with multiple plots.
• Certain events can be selected for the graph to
  be shown as marker inside the graph.
• Parameter properties window for showing the major
  parameter configuration data
• It is planned to enhance this function with
  mission evaluation capabilities (e.g. support for
  time series analysis, save graph data for
  spreadsheet).

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USS Executor advanced elements
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Project Benefits (i.e. Columbus)

• Reuse of the onboard displays on ground (Columbus
  related400, totally for ISS 6.000)
• ?Displays must not be recoded and
  maintained/qualified only once
• ?Onboard procedures can be reused on ground
• ?Training material can be reused because flight
  controller and crew use the same displays
• ISS Display standard (DGCS) compliance is much
  better than for the old systems
• ? Higher commonality with Nasa systems
• Easy to use synoptics editor (MS Visio like)
• ? Reduction of synoptic preparation effort
• Batch and interactive generation of display
  reports, consistency checks
• ?Reduced verification effort
• Full integration in ground and onboard consoles,
  harmonized user interface
• ? Reduction of training effort
• Reduced overall software costs
• ? Saving of runtime fees (for editor and
  executor)
• ? Saving maintenance effort

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Users

• Columbus Mission Control Systems (System
  Payload)
• New Columbus onboard laptop system (LAPAP MKII)
• Columbus Trainer NASA PCS display simulator
• NASA (PCS) displays Requirements Tool
• Common Ground System (CGS) 6.x
• Spin-off Wind Power Facility Supervisor
• ESA Study MECA Mission Execution Crew
  Assistant
• No. of Users 300

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Development Roadmap

• Current development contracts are ongoing until
  mid 2007
• Major software release and the monthly
  development snapshots will be made available via
  the public USS homepage
• www.e-columbus.de/projects/uss

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Anticipated applications

• USS team is searching for collaboration
  opportunities to apply USS technology for
  different application domains or additional
  spacecraft projects and facilities
• ESTEC EGSE Reference Facility (SCOS 2000)
• Payload or subsystem EGSEs
• Satellite EGSE and control centers
• Future EADS Low Cost EGSE Supervisor
• ESA studies or national projects
• Future ESA / ESOC Ground Operation Software
  Systems
• ESA technology studies
• ESA exploration projects
• Provide USS XML format as open standard for
  synoptic exchange between space projects

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Interfaces

• USS Editor
• Bitmaps (GIF, JPEG, PNG)
• Vector images (SVG)
• User defined symbol libraries (XML)
• USS synoptics (USS XML schema)
• Importers for commonly used synoptic formats
• System TM/TC configuration file (XML)
• Spell checking and operations nomenclature
  dictionaries (Tab Separated Values - TSV)
• Consistency check result (HTML)
• Manage synoptics in file system and Columbus
  Mission Database

• USS Executor
• Monitoring acquisition status visualization
  style definition files (XML)
• Columbus data sources (CORBA)
• Columbus commanding interfaces (CORBA)
• User developed data sources and command handlers
  (Java)
• Graph history data (Comma Separated Values - CSV)
• Both
• Display Report (HTML)
• Pluggable element types (Java plugin)
• User developed element types (Java)

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Domain Modell Overview
DataSources represent certain observables
(measurement, TM, reporting data, Computations).
Computations are expressions for conditions,
derived values, re-calibration, etc.
During synoptic execution the chosen system
specific DataProvider sends updates to the
DataSource. The element is redrawn with
according data updates (engineering raw value,
unit, monitoring acquisition status, time,
etc.)
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Domain Modell XML schema
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Future Extensions

• We are currently investigating future USS
  extensions to raise further the operational
  efficiency and to broaden the scope
• Detailed display of command history data events
• Display of raw packets
• XTCE standard based system configuration
• ECSS E70-31 standard based system configuration
• CSSDS packet based datasource
• Procedural Display Elements (Procedure Steps
  Instructions)
• Display of multimedia data (video audio)
• Web based preview of synoptics
• Secure web based monitoring and commanding
• Additional synoptic importers (NASA MSK displays,
  SCOS 2000 ILOG Views displays)
• Integration with other systems SCOS 2000, PACTS
  and NASA TReK payload EGSE, Astrium OpenCentre,
  LabViews