Combining the Model/View/Control Design Pattern with the DEVS Formalism to Achieve Rigor and Reusability in Distributed Simulation

Defense-related simulation efforts are increasingly focused on component-based simulation development. This focus is reflected in efforts to design new simulation software in terms of interacting components that can be understood and reused in isolation or collectively and to modify legacy simulators to incorporate new component-based simulation technology. A strong, new capability to modify simulation software is necessary to make component-based simulation development a reality. Such a capability can only be realized by incorporating sound modeling and simulation principles and a clear separation of concerns between models, simulators, and distributed computing. This paper presents a design pattern that supports the construction of adaptable simulation software via an extension of the Model/View/Control design pattern. The resulting Model/Simulator/View/Control pattern incorporates key concepts from the DEVS modeling and simulation methodology in order to promote a separation of modeling, simulation, and distributed computing issues. The advantage of this approach to simulation software design is considered in the context of other documented attempts to promote component based simulation development. The new design pattern is demonstrated through its application in a simulation based test signal generator used to support the Single Integrated Air Picture (SIAP) systems engineering effort.