Advanced distributed simulation through the Aggregate Level Simulation Protocol

The venerable problem-solving technique of simulation finds itself in the midst of a revolution. Where once it was regarded as a “technique of last resort” for systems analysis, today simulation is widely applied to support myriad purposes, including: training, interaction, visualization, hardware testing and decision support in real-time. Advanced distributed simulation (ADS) is the US Department of Defense (DoD) nomenclature used to describe the cooperative utilization of physically distributed simulations toward a common objective. The Aggregate Level Simulation Protocol (ALSP), under the auspices of ADS, provides a mechanism for the integration of existing simulation models to support training via theater-level simulation exercises. Consisting of a collection of infrastructure software and protocols for both inter-model communication through a common interface and time advance using a conservative Chandy-Misra based algorithm, the ALSP has supported an evolving “confederation of models ” since 1992. A review of the history and design of ALSP is presented and serves to outline directions for future investigation