Neptus - A Framework to Support a Mission Life Cycle

Abstract

The Neptus distributed command and control framework for operations with vehicles, sensors, and human operators in inter-operated networks is presented. This is done in the context of applications, technologies, and field tests. There are applications for world representation and modeling, mission planning, simulation, execution control and supervision, and post-mission analysis. This is done in a mixed initiative fashion allowing the intervention by experienced human operators. XML abstract data types and XSLT technologies facilitate vehicle-interoperability and the standardization of interactions. A publish/subscribe (P/S) middleware framework for communications in a distributed environment enables the transparent inter-operability of communication networks. A console builder together with the P/S middleware allow the user to configure operating consoles for different vehicles. Results from field tests validate the overall framework and provide directions for future work.