Charters : 1.BOF1 Timeline Data Exchange BoF

 

This BoF is intended to create an extensible, interoperable, cross supportable, data format standard that can be applied to a number of different domains including: Service Management (SM) WG, Cross Support Transfer Service (CSTS) WG, Spacecraft Monitor & Control (SM&C) WG, Nav WG, Mission Planning WG, and potentially others.
In current systems there are many different instances where different types of timeline data are exchanged among system elements. These are most often done using different "one-off" solutions that both take extra time to develop and cause an N**2 problem in data exchanges. As systems get more complex and interconnected this becomes a much large problem to solve. There are also no means over time to ensure consistent and reproducible interoperable exchanges of data among system elements.
Because most current systems use their own local approaches data tends to be localized and isolated and data sets are not easily correlated or compared. The Timeline Data exchange standard that is being proposed is intended to efficiently address all of these issues in the context of a data exchange format. The standard is to be suitable for use in a number of venues and it imposes few constraints on the data transfer mechanisms over which it may be used. It requires no specific transfer protocols nor application framework.

Develop an overall conceptual framework for interoperable, extensible, timeline data exchange. This will include a core Orange Book defining the concept, the data structures, and one or more specific transfer syntax mappings. Descriptive Green Book-like material and a process for using the TDE will also be provided.
The specific goal of this effort is to clearly document this concept, its capabilities, and a technical mapping such that it may be understood and evaluated by other groups that might need such a capability.

To date none of the work identified in other bodies, either in CCSDS or externally, has all the properties identified as part of this effort.  There are possible interactions with other CCSDS WGs and these will be worked as part of the WG activities. The basic concept of a timeline does appear in many different systems, but none have all of the features of the TDE combined, including deep versioning, idempotence, provenance, and security. TDE brings all of these features together in an efficient and interoperable form that is also extensible to accommodate future data format mappings and a variety of data transfer protocols.
Timeline data exchange is potentially relevant for use in several existing CCSDS working groups.  These include: Service Management (SM) WG (schedules, sequence of events), Cross Support Transfer Service (CSTS) WG (monitor data), Spacecraft Monitor & Control (SM&C) WG (all different timeline types), Nav WG (events, activities), Mission Planning WG (plans, events, activities), and potentially others. As an Orange Book there is no mandate for this to be adopted in any of these venues, but once published the concepts will be available for consideration.
To our knowledge there are not any standards available in OMG, ISO, or ECSS that have all, or even a majority, of the features of TDE.

None identified to date. A JPL New Technology Report (NTR) has been filed and the papers that document these concepts have been publicly released and are free of patent constraints.

An initial implementation that embodies these concepts is currently under development efforts at NASA / JPL and NASA /  JSC.  a nearly complete model has been been developed in the BoF using formal modeling methods made available by ESA / ESTEC.

Discussions are underway to secure necessary resources from NASA and ESA, at a minimum. Because the proposed approach is to develop only an Orange Book the required resources are modest.