**[ISE PROJECT PROPOSAL FACT SHEET]{.underline}**

Submitting Center: **Goddard Space Flight Center**

Project Title: **NASA STEP Testbed**

Functional Element: **Life Cycle Integration and Validation (LCI&V)**

Sub-Element Applicability: **Systems Architecture and Integration
Methods**

Proposed Start Date: **\[FY99, exact date TBD\]** Proposed End Date:
**September 2004**

Center Technical POC: **Stephen C. Waterbury, Code 562, 301-286-7557**

Technical Summary:

**[Background]{.underline}: The STEP (ISO 10303) standard for the
representation of product model data provides the foundation for a
comprehensive information management infrastructure for NASA's
engineering enterprise. In October 1997, NASA joined the U.S.
government-industry consortium, PDES, Inc., that is developing and
implementing STEP.**

**STEP is being applied by PDES, Inc. member companies to:**

1.  **Exchange CAD/CAM/CAE models via a neutral format, enabling the use
    of "best of breed" software tools, rather than locking in to a
    single-vendor solution.**

2.  **Implement a standardized information model for Product Data
    Management (PDM).**

3.  **Support concurrent multidisciplinary design processes (e.g.,
    electronic and mechanical aspects of an electromechanical
    product).**

4.  **Support concurrent design and analysis processes.**

The application of STEP will enable the capture and integration of a
complete, multi-disciplinary model of an airframe or aircraft engine, an
instrument, a spacecraft, a ground control system, or an entire NASA
mission. Thus, a comprehensive engineering model database can be created
that will support the NASA project lifecycle from concept and design
through manufacture, operations, and maintenance.

**[Task:]{.underline}** **This project will develop software capable of
"Intelligent Product Data Management (PDM)" for the capture and
concurrent access to product model data by NASA's interdisciplinary
design and analysis groups. "Intelligent PDM" is defined to be the
management of computer-aided design and analysis models by the use of a
Master Model that integrates the discipline views and their data
contents. The purpose of this task is to help fulfill ISE LCIV
requirements for an "intelligent plug-and-play \[tool\] integration
capability."**

**[Objectives]{.underline}: The objective of the NASA STEP Testbed
project is to provide software to support collaborative design, digital
mock-up, virtual prototyping, and the management of interdisciplinary
design, analysis, and simulation. To achieve this objective, a portable
Intelligent PDM Server will be developed, the core of which will be a
"model integration and management engine." The Intelligent PDM Server
will implement an open, plug-and-play architecture based on the STEP
(ISO 10303) standard and the Object Management Group (OMG) PDM Enablers
interface specification. The Intelligent PDM Server will be made
available to the ISE as the NASA Engineering Database, accessible via
the World-Wide Web to all NASA centers, engineering groups, and
affiliates. It will support capture, exchange, and access to
discipline-specific views of a multi-disciplinary Master Model of a
project design. The Intelligent PDM Server software will also be
provided to any NASA or NASA-affiliated groups for incorporation into
local workgroup or NASA center PDM capabilities, so that the ISE can
have a distributed Intelligent PDM capability.**

**[Technical Approach]{.underline}:**

1.  The NASA STEP Testbed will cooperate with other ISE development
    groups to define an ISE standard, open-architecture "Tool
    Integration Backplane Specification (TIBS)." This specification will
    include both an information model, based on STEP Application
    Protocols, and a set of application interface specifications, based
    on industry standards (e.g., the OMG PDM Enablers) whenever
    possible. The use of a standard ISE Tool Integration Backplane
    Specification will enable ISE tools, applications, databases, and
    parts libraries to be purchased or developed with well-defined
    interface requirements, thereby enabling a robust, verifiable
    "plug-and-play" capability.

2.  The Testbed will build the Intelligent PDM Server using NIST
    Expresso as the core "model integration and management engine." The
    following STEP Application Protocols will be targeted for initial
    implementation:

-   The STEP Product Data Management (PDM) Schema.

-   AP 203 (Configuration-Controlled 3D Design)

-   AP 209 (Composite and metallic structural analysis and related
    design)

-   AP 210 (Electronic Assembly, Interconnect, and Packaging Design)

-   AP 233 (Systems Engineering)

-   STEP-TAS (STEP Thermal Analysis for Space)

    The EXPRESS-X mapping language (ISO 10303-14) will be used to
    integrate these Application Protocols into a Product Master Model.
    The scope of the Product Master Model will include the entire scope
    of those AP's, and will support requirements, drawings,
    configuration management information, and analysis model parameters
    across the Mechanical, Electrical, and various Analysis domains.
    This Product Master Model will provide a standards-based framework
    for the integration and management of multi-disciplinary CAx models
    from the initial phases of a project (in which the Master Model will
    at first be partially populated), throughout the system lifecycle,
    as design and analysis data accumulate.

3.  Beyond the development of interoperability mappings of the STEP
    Application Protocols into the Product Master Model, the Testbed
    will develop other standardized mappings as required by ISE
    priorities and cost/benefit analyses. Preference will be given to
    the mapping of industry standards and stable interface
    specifications that have wide applicability to engineering tools, so
    that the investment in mapping development will produce a long-term
    benefit to NASA.

4.  Interfaces to the NASA STEP Testbed will include (a) the WWW
    protocol (HTTP), for end-user access via browser, (b) the OMG PDM
    Enablers, for interfacing with COTS PDM systems and CAx tools,
    and (c) other interfaces as defined by the ISE Tool Integration
    Backplane Specification (see 1). The end-user interface (a) will
    include file uploading and searching for data by categories or
    attributes through an HTML forms interface. Access will be
    controlled by userid and password, and will be given to all NASA
    centers, engineering groups, affiliates, PDES, Inc. partners, and
    others as approved by NASA management.

5.  The Testbed will provide a Model Translation Service, supporting the
    ISE with all required STEP translation capabilities and other
    translation capabilities as may be developed through the
    interoperability mapping activities described in (3), above.

6.  "NASA-PDMnet": the Testbed will help to support NASA software
    developers and systems integrators who need to (a) create a
    TIBS-conformant interface to a NASA-developed application, or (b)
    "plug-in" COTS tools or applications (i.e., set up communications)
    to the Testbed's Intelligent PDM Server. This support will take the
    form of on-line documentation, consulting, and interoperability
    testing with the Testbed's server. The Testbed will also provide
    this support to NASA PDM administrators for local workgroups who
    wish to install and operate an instance of the Intelligent PDM
    Server locally.

**[Major Products]{.underline}:**

1.  **(With other ISE development groups) An ISE "Tool Integration
    Backplane Specification (TIBS)".**

2.  **The Intelligent PDM Server.**

3.  **A Web-based Intelligent PDM service for projects that lack local
    PDM.**

4.  **On-line support services for local PDM administrators and software
    developers, including help with installation and/or connection to
    the Intelligent PDM server and consulting support for the
    implementation and use of the ISE Tool Integration Backplane
    Specification.**

**[Beneficiaries]{.underline}: Initially, beneficiaries of this project
will include the users of NASA's Integrated Design Centers and early
Testbed "beta" users. The initial focus of the STEP Testbed will be on
developing and testing the Intelligent PDM Server and setting up
communications with local project and center PDM systems. Once the
software is production-ready, it will be integrated into the ISE and
made available to all NASA projects.**

**[Potential for Transfer to Industry]{.underline}**: **For the first
year after its release, NASA STEP Testbed software will be available
only to NASA and to the other members of the PDES, Inc. consortium.
Subsequently to that, it will be available to any company for use or
commercialization.**