Modeling and Simulation-based Data Engineering:
Introducing Pragmatics into Ontologies for Net-Centric Information Exchange
Bernard P. Zeigler and Phillip E. Hammonds
Academic Press | 2007 | 448 pages
978-0-12-372515

Authors Bernard Zeigler and Phillip Hammonds are well known in the domain of Modeling and Simulation (M&S). Modeling and Simulation-based Data Engineering is a complement to the Zeigler et al. (2000) book Theory of Modeling and Simulation. However, the audience for this book is not limited to the experts of the M&S domain. The book addresses the critical issue of data engineering as a necessary requirement to support interoperability among producers and consumers of data, as it is envisioned for new command and control (C2) infrastructures such as the Global Information Grid (GIG). As the approach is not to establish a theoretic framework but to introduce a practical approach to data engineering, this book is of interest to C2 experts working in the domains of Net-Centric Information Exchange and Net-Centric Data Strategy.

The book is divided into four parts. After establishing the foundations in the form of a pragmatic framework around syntax, semantics, pragmatics, and ontologies in part one, Zeigler and Hammonds introduce System Entity Structure (SES) concepts and operations as the core components of their data engineering approach in part two. The SES approach is filled with life by demonstrating its computational representations in XML, Java, and even in Natural Language. By applying their framework to generate world state descriptions based on common data interpretation, they generate Pruned Entity Structures (PES), which reflect many objectives of data structures envisioned for the communities of interest (COI) on the GIG.

While part two focuses on data, the third part puts data into a dynamic and agile context of M&S. As envisioned in Phillips-Wren and Jain’s (2005) book Intelligent Decision Support, the use of M&S services for the evaluation of alternative courses of action based on operational data is likely to be the rule in future operational systems. The NATO Code of Best Practice for C2 Assessment (2002) comes to the same conclusion, which emphasizes the importance for C2 experts. As mentioned before, M&S knowledge is advantageous, but not necessary, to understand these chapters of the book.

The last part deals with testing in net-centric environments and addresses directly many net-centric-related problems often presented in recent C2 Research and Technology Symposia and workshops. By introducing a multiple level approach to interoperation with a focus on syntactic, semantic, and pragmatic levels and comparing this approach with alternatives currently applied or discussed in the C2 community, the authors provide an examination of their contribution to the state of the art.

Measured on the objective defined by their subtitle to "introduce pragmatics into ontologies for net-centric information exchange," the book falls slightly short. Without an awareness of state-of-the-art Knowledge Representation, as collected in Sowa’s (2000) book, the power of the introduced concepts does not become obvious. A good understanding of this domain is required to utilize the proposed solutions to their full potential, but also to be aware of their shortcomings. In summary, the book addresses a gap in the state of the art of net-centric operations: How to deal with the valuable resource data and how to ensure meaningful operation in net-centric environments based on engineering principles and methods.

References

• NATO. 2002. NATO code of best practice for C2 assessment. Washington: CCRP Publications.
• Phillips-Wren, G.E., and L.C. Jain, ed. 2005. Intelligent decision support systems in agent-mediated environments. Volume 115 Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence and Applications. Amsterdam: IOS Press.
• Sowa, J.F. 2000. Knowledge representation: Logical, philosophical, and computational foundations. Pacific Grove: Brooks/Cole.
• Zeigler, B.P., T.G. Kim, and H. Praehofer. 2000. Theory of modeling and simulation, 2d ed. New York: Academic Press.

Reviewer

Andreas Tolk
Engineering Management and Systems Engineering
Old Dominion University, Norfolk, United States
October 2007