Multi-Layer Framework for Synthesis and Evaluation of Heterogeneous System-of-Systems Composed of Manned and Unmanned Vehicles

The advancement of both sensory and unmanned technology, combined with increased utilization of autonomous platforms in complex teaming scenarios, has created a need for practical design space exploration tools to aid in the synthesis of effective System-of-Systems (SoS). The presented work describes a modular, flexible, and extensible framework, referred to herein as the Technologies and Teaming Evaluation (TATE) framework, for straightforward identification of high-quality SoS, which may include both manned and autonomous elements, through quantitative evaluation of system-level and SoS-level attributes against a set of user-defined reference tasks. More specifically, TATE combines a top-down (goal-driven) approach, which systematically decomposes mission-level goals into a set of relevant technology and teaming options, with a two-layer bottom-up (technology-driven) approach that compares and selects effective components and configurations both for individual systems and the overall team. The TATE framework serves as an extension to existing design space exploration tools that focus on individual system design and do not readily scale to SoS. A canonical example is used to illustrate the use of the TATE framework for synthesis and evaluation of team structures for use within a representative target tracking mission.