The Simulation Scenario Definition Language, towards simulator independent experiment definition

Abstract

Simulation scenarios are the key elements for performing experiments in flight simulators. A platform independent definition is crucial for conducting identical experiments in different devices. A scenario in general does not only specify the initial conditions, timeline of significant events and the related environmental conditions, but also the simulator configuration, which is required to run that particular experiment. The use of a well-formed language builds the foundation for managing this challenging task. In 2016 German Aerospace Center (DLR) and Embry Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) started to work on the development of a common simulation scenario definition language for the aviation domain. It has four major objectives: a) sharing scenario definitions across various facilities and experts, b) boosting interoperability of scenario definition tools and execution infrastructures, c) increasing the quality of scenarios by formal completeness and consistency checking approaches, and d) enable automated scenario generation using language constructs. With these objectives a working group was initiated by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) Modeling and Simulation Technical Committee (MSTC). The group fosters the international exchange of expertize on scenario definition in the aeronautics community and focusses on the standardization of the language. This presentation introduces the main ideas and requirements, and reports about the two approaches for developing the scenario definition language.