3.3.3 VERDICT: A Distributed Virtual Environment for System Engineering

Abstract

Abstract1This paper proposes a framework for the development of a distributed virtual interface (called VERDICT) for a system engineering development environment that (1) focuses on the role of the human in the system being designed, (2) focuses on the cognitive needs of the engineers using the development environment, and (3) facilitates the intended universality of the environment by relying on technologies that allow architecture independence. VERDICT stands for Virtual Environment for Remote Design Integration and Configuration Testing. Its purpose is to provide a distributed virtual interface to a system engineering environment for the design of complex systems. Principal among its goals is the organization of information through the development of a taxonomy of the types of knowledge representations, or cognitive media, used in system design. Related to this goal is the determination of how these cognitive media are best represented by physical media (text, graphics, animation, sound, etc.). Another goal is implementation transparency, through the utilization of enabling technologies such as Java and CORBA.