A Virtual Mission Operations Center Collaborative Environment VMOCCE

1
A Virtual Mission Operations Center
Collaborative Environment (VMOC-CE)

• Marie Bussman
• Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc.

2
Agenda

• Introduction
• VMOC-CE Project
• System Capabilities Technologies
• Operations Concept
• Pilot Results
• Future Capabilities
• Conclusions

3
Introduction

• Mission environment is undergoing the following
  dramatic changes
• Mission teams are now widely distributed across
  the country, and in some cases continents. The
  experts required to assist in solving mission
  anomalies can be located at great distances from
  the physical control center
• Cost reductions and changes in mission
  development teams have lead to a mission
  operations environment that is staffed at lower
  levels than ever before, but has more complex
  missions to oversee and operate
• Mission operations control centers and staff
  resources are shared by more than one mission
• Future mission concepts include multi-spacecraft
  missions as well as multi-mission facilities
• VMOC-CE enables off-site operators and engineers
  to more easily identify, investigate, and resolve
  anomalies without having to be present in the MOC

4
VMOC-CE Project

• Provides a single access point for all resources
  used in a collaborative mission operations
  environment
• Assists geographically dispersed mission teams in
  communication, investigation, and resolution of
  anomalies
• Incorporates online chat, real-time file sharing,
  remote application sharing, and mission
  management components in one central location
• Is a portal providing real-time access to
• A single knowledge repository for all mission
  data accessed to identify and resolve anomalies
• Customizable user views and summaries
• Collaborative tools including voice and video
  conferencing, electronic mail, application
  sharing, real-time chats, community whiteboard,
  and threaded discussions.
• Team project management tools action item,
  calendaring, and announcements tools
• Mission operations data tools

5
VMOC-CE Project

• Being developed by NASA GSFCs Advanced
  Architectures and Automation Branch
• Funded by the Earth Science Enterprise, via the
  Earth Science Mission Operations Center (ESMOS)
• Based on the Virtual System Design Environment
  (VSDE) developed by NASA GSFCs Systems
  Engineering and Advanced Concepts Branch. VSDE
• Provides the knowledge repository and
  collaborative framework
• Incorporates online chat, real-time file sharing,
  remote application sharing, and project
  management
• Serves teams working in the concept development,
  proposal preparation, and formulation phases of
  the mission lifecycle
• Extends VSDE into mission operations

6
System Capabilities Technologies

• Core Framework
• Java solution built on Java Web services, server
  side Java (servlets), and client side modules
• Pulls data from data sources and presents them
  via standard views in Internet Explorer and
  Netscape Navigator
• Group and Personal Links
• Groups can establish URL links to resources on
  network
• Individuals can establish personal URL links
• Real-time News Feeds
• Ability to display summary news information to
  users
• User specifies which news feed(s) to display
• Announcements
• Ability to post group wide notices and
  information to entire team
• Displayed on entry into VMOC-CE
• Group Address Book
• Access to user information for all members of
  team. Includes names, e-mail addresses, and
  phone numbers

7
System Capabilities Technologies

• File Management
• Allows uploading and downloading of all file
  types
• Management accomplished via user rights per
  folder
• Ability to add file metadata and supports
  searches among folder hierarchy
• Collaboration
• Allows message communication and data
  collaboration
• COTS products Microsoft NetMeeting and AOL
  Instant Message
• Calendar
• Create personal and group events
• Sends out notification reminders and
  announcements
• Action / Issue Management
• Enables users to add items and assign then to
  other team members
• Sends out notification reminders
• Discussion Forum
• Allows group to post questions and have other
  members provide answers
• Similar to most on-line newsgroups

8
Operations Concept
9
Operations Concept (cont.)
Off-Line Analysis
Health Safety Monitor
Alert System
Trending Reports
Synthesized status Event details
Alert Information Problem Reports
Command Control System
Page with Alert Information
Pass/Event Logs Command Loads
Planner / Scheduler
VMOC-CE
Access to information from within and outside of
the Control Center
Pass Plans
10
Operations Concept (cont.)

• Upon completion of planned capabilities, mission
  staff will have access data needed for anomaly
  resolution from many different operation data
  sources, including
• Planning and scheduling system Provides mission
  pass plans for mission staff to use to determine
  what the spacecraft was scheduled to do when the
  anomaly occurred
• Command and control system Provides command
  loads for mission staff to use to determine which
  settings on the spacecraft may have changed.
  Also, provides pass/event logs for mission staff
  to use to determine what else was occurring at
  the time of the anomaly
• Health and safety monitor Provides a graphical
  glance of spacecraft health for mission staff to
  use to quickly determine overall health of the
  spacecraft and to pin-point components which are
  having problems
• Off-line analysis Provides trending reports for
  mission staff to use to determine if error was
  due to degradation of a spacecraft component
• Alert System Contacts staff during off-shift
  hours to report anomaly and provide mission staff
  with base-line problem report information

11
Pilot Results

• Piloted during FY02 in mission operations
  management environment by ESMOS
• Used to support distributed meeting between Sioux
  Falls and GSFC. Following features were
  exercised
• File Uploads to Central Location
• Conference Server
• Shared Presentations
• Also used for action item assignment and tracking
• FY03 plan includes piloting for mission
  operations environment, while continuing its use
  in mission operations management

12
Future Capabilities

• Access to mission operations information
• Pass plans, pass logs, and health safety data
• Incorporation of mission operations tools for
  health safety monitoring and spacecraft alerts
• Access to VMOC-CE by wireless devices
• Via personal data assistants and / or cell phones
• Access chat, discussion forum, action items,
  calendar, announcements, and document sharing
• Enhancements to security
• Incorporate / integrate own chat host capability
• Implement secure http protocol
• Implement additional portal authentication
  mechanism
• Utilize secure web service tools

13
Conclusion

• Collaborative environment for mission operations
  will help NASA to maintain effective spacecraft
  operations while mission staff and costs are
  shrinking
• Allows distributed mission teams to interact in
  day to day spacecraft operations
• Gives mission operator ability to quickly consult
  with experts in identification and resolution of
  anomalies
• Enables sharing of mission operations control
  centers and staff resources for more than one
  mission