Modeling and Simulation

Modeling and Simulation Solutions

These models and simulations include mission and system end-to-end performance, system and subsystem performance and test-beds, and distributed simulation environments and entities.

SAIC's solutions in this area include:

• Cost Modeling: SAIC personnel apply their space system engineering, design, and development expertise to develop cost estimate relationships for the recurring and non-recurring costs associated with development and operation of existing and proposed space systems. These models are applied in supporting tradeoffs among competing system or design approaches at the mission, system, or component levels.
• Earth Science Instrument Modeling: For NASA/Langley, SAIC provides hardware support in development and refinement of laser-based remote sensing instruments for atmospheric research, including the Lidar In-Space Technology Experiment, Lidar Atmospheric Sensing Experiment, and Differential Absorption Lidar. We provide support to NASA's Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer in development of the Level-1B software, formulation of the calibration algorithms, and characterization and modeling of the instrument.
• Environmental Modeling: SAIC provides highly specialized environmental modeling and simulation services to the Environmental Modeling Center (EMC) of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction. The mission of the EMC is to develop advanced methods of atmospheric and oceanographic data analysis and modeling, with the goal of increasing the skill and extending the range of the operational weather forecasts of the National Weather Service. SAIC scientists with backgrounds in modeling atmospheric and oceanographic processes, along with experience in numerical optimization techniques, play key roles in the maintenance and enhancement of complex atmospheric, oceanographic and coupled modeling and data assimilation systems, in addition to the large observational data sets required to initialize and verify model forecasts.
• Global Circulation Modeling: SAIC supports the NASA/Goddard Global Modeling and Assimilation Office in its mission to develop a global four-dimensional data assimilation system for use with the observational data sets produced by the Earth observing system instruments that will become operational in the late 1990's. This work includes the development and maintenance of a high-resolution optimal interpolation analysis system, the development and use of a global general circulation model for use within the data assimilation system as well as for climate studies and verification of forecast skill, and the development of diagnostic tools and analysis techniques for studying climate variability. SAIC develops, maintains, and documents all aspects of the global circulation model, in addition to comprehensive testing and simulation studies using the model.
• Mission Simulation: SAIC performs mission and system simulations for NASA systems for Earth orbiting systems and for inter-planetary missions. These simulations address the full range of mission and system features and allow the capability to trade among mission concept alternatives. Simulations provide for the evaluation of various system elements, including space and terrestrial components, and allow for changing mission requirements, configurations and operations.
• Numerical Weather Prediction Modeling: SAIC has strong scientific programming experience in numerical objective analysis, numerical weather prediction, data retrieval from remotely sensed observations, observation system experiments, and observation system simulation experiments. We have made numerous scientific contributions to the research of NASA's Goddard Laboratory for Atmospheres C-grid model. SAIC is involved in the TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder, Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite data assimilation programs, the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program, and many other satellite data sets that are critical to Earth science studies.
• Subsystem and Component Modeling: SAIC develops and employs models of system and subsystem capabilities at varying levelsof fidelity to support system tradeoffs, requirements analysis, subsystem design and evaluation, algorithm development and performance analyses. SAIC model libraries include high-fidelity sensor models (e.g., EO/IR, SAR, Radar) and communications models.
• System Performance Simulation: SAIC conducts performance modeling and simulation using system simulations and combinations of subsystem simulations of differing fidelities to assess the performance of integrated systems in their intended environments. These simulations enable the assessment of end-to-end system operations, effectiveness of different combinations of capability based on their availability, and the capability of system configurations to meet user requirements. These simulations are used in decision analysis and force planning, system requirement definition and allocation, test and evaluation, operational planning and execution.