JACIC Status and Acknowledgments

Abstract

his is the end of the first year of publication of the Journal of Aerospace Computing, Information, and Communication (JACIC). It remains an exciting and important endeavor. Aerospace systems are key elements of the information age, and JACIC was created to document those efforts. I'm proud of the progress we have made on JACIC, and the credit goes to a wide variety of people: authors, reviewers, associate editors, AIAA staff, and more. We expect the scope of JACIC to evolve over time, but currently it is: This journal is devoted to the applied science and engineering of aerospace computing, information, and communications. Original archival research papers are sought which include significant scientific and technical knowledge and concepts. The Journal publishes qualified papers in areas such as real-time systems, computational techniques, embedded systems, communication systems, networking, software engineering, software reliability, systems engineering, signal processing, data fusion, computer architecture, high-performance computing systems and software, expert systems, sensor systems, intelligent systems, and human-computer interfaces. Articles are sought which demonstrate the application of recent research in computing, information, and communications technology to a wide range of practical aerospace engineering problems. Starting a new journal is a difficult task, but we have managed to attract a large number of high-quality papers. This has certainly been helped by the excellent reputation of AIAA publications combined with the importance of information-enabled aerospace systems. For the first year we had 163 papers submitted. Of these papers, 38% were accepted for publication, 34% were declined, and 28% are still under review. I have been asked many times what sort of papers we publish in JACIC. Aerospace engineering is an inherently interdisciplinary field, and authors often discuss multiple technologies or topics in their papers. The key to deciding whether a paper is appropriate for JACIC is to determine the main focus of the paper. If the focus is computers, computation, information, communication, software, or IT, then it probably fits in JACIC. On the other hand, if the focus of the paper is on control with some discussion of computing, then it probably fits best in the Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics. Similar guidelines would apply to the other AIAA journals. Many of the topics covered by JACIC are relatively new, and the terminology continues to evolve, but “computing, information, and communication” (CIC) do represent the key technologies. Aerospace information technology (IT) is also a common term, but information-enabled aerospace systems might be even more descriptive of JACIC content and current trends in aerospace. Every year aircraft and spacecraft rely more and more on computers and software. You may also notice how often the word system appears in the scope. This is indicative of aerospace vehicles: they are systems. Few aircraft, spacecraft, or ground vehicles operate alone however, which leads us to also consider systems of systems. It is encouraging to see a number of university aerospace engineering programs moving to educate students in all aspects of information-enabled aerospace systems. In addition to aerodynamics, propulsion, dynamics/control, and structures, students need to learn about aerospace IT. Together these subjects represent the five “pillars” of aerospace engineering, as I wrote about last year at this time. Students also need to understand the design process and systems engineering, which tie the five pillars together. This is a difficult transition for many aerospace engineers, but it must be recognized that the original four technical areas of aerospace engineering are fairly mature compared to information technology. Computer capability is improving exponentially. We are only beginning to understand the implications that this will have for aircraft and spacecraft, especially unmanned systems. For aerospace engineers to remain relevant, they need to understand computer systems, information systems, and communication systems. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology aerodynamics is optional for aerospace engineers, but embedded computer systems are not! At the very least, aerospace engineers need to be able to communicate well with electrical, computer, software, and systems engineers. Hopefully, JACIC can have a positive impact in this area. At one point in 2004, Lockheed Martin had 4096 job openings. More than half of these (51%) were in the areas of electrical engineering, information technology,