Boecore  

Problem Statement

Instructors training today’s Space Guardians in schoolhouses and operations centers are challenged to provide a learning experience that is engaging, increases skill retention and effectively maintains operational readiness. Classroom courses tend to lack the experiences that promote long-term retention of skills, nor do they have that attention grabbing, want-to-engage quality found in today’s modern computer games such as “Call of Duty” or “Kerbal” – death by PowerPoint is often the norm.

Our Solution

Boecore has developed a gamified training experience for Space C2 warfighters; BORG (Battlespace Operational Readiness Game) Space™ is a training and planning capability that provides an engaging learning experience that encourages Guardians at all levels to “play” often from anywhere to quickly refresh or hone their current Space skills as they become Space experts. Players are challenged to demonstrate understanding of learning objectives, Commander’s guidance, and Blue and Red force assets and work to beat the clock. Players run through multiple scenarios in skirmish/campaign modes quickly and watch each play out in a 3D graphical environment to test out what-ifs and view scores and feedback while checking out rankings on leaderboards. And to ensure effectiveness, data and analytics on performance against learning objectives and scoring are key features for instructors along with scenario authoring to easily create what-if scenarios on the fly and rapidly evolve the curriculum over time as players advance. 

The BORG Space™ solution provides a series of scenarios and features that address fundamental orbital mechanics, satellite behavior and Space physics teachings and provides a more effective Space 101 experience for Space Guardians at all levels. A Sandbox mode allows players to explore behaviors in Space at their pace; experimenting with the effects of changing classical orbital elements and maneuvering to match orbits or avoid conjunctions. A Two-Line Element (TLE) set import and edit capability allows players to study real-world satellite constellations and create their own satellites to understand behaviors in LEO, MEO, HEO, and GEO orbits and the differing types of orbit transfers including Lambert and Hohmann. Scored scenarios take players through increasing levels of difficulty as they master comprehension in areas such as Natural and Forced Motion Circumnavigation (NMC/FMC), Frames of Reference (Inertial vs. RIC), Orbit Propagation, Basic Maneuvers, Rendezvous Proximity Operations (RPO), Engagement Zones, and Fuel Awareness. Players are encouraged to continue play, and thus learning, by improving scores and climbing the leaderboard.

Some Background

BORG Space™ is a spin-off from a Missile Defense Agency (MDA)-sponsored SBIR Phase II project that led to an operational gamified trainer for Missile Defense planners. Under a 20.1 Open Topic Phase III SBIR project with the US Space Force, Boecore is leveraging our expertise in Space operations and C2 systems as well as our prior work in gamifying MDA training to develop a learning environment for Space C2 Operations. Providing a hands-on gamified technology that helps Guardians hone their skills, develop/improve Tactics, Techniques, & Procedures (TTPs), and think beyond a single, tactical engagement is crucial to effective Orbital Warfare development.

More About the Technology

Boecore’s BORG Space™ solution has foundational game-based mechanics and game quality performance designed to improve user engagement, skill retention, performance assessment and sustained operational readiness while reducing time of skill mastery and training costs. Its state-of-the-art game look & feel and rapid scenario authoring provide more engaging scenarios and improved user interaction for increased learning and retention. The performance metrics and learning analytics better assess the effectiveness of training and allow instructors to focus and shift learning goals, improving both warfighter and instructor satisfaction. Built on the Unity game engine, BORG Space™ is architected for game play look & feel, features and speeds and is highly extensible given a growing selection of add-ons and assets. By implementing cutting edge gaming technologies, stateof- the art game-play approaches, a highly configurable architecture and a specialized scoring algorithm, the gamified trainer is designed for rapid mission tailoring. The approach for adaptation to meet Space C2 Operations training needs includes User-Centered Design and Design Thinking to accurately identify and prioritize user needs and pain points. An Agile software methodology is followed to rapidly modify and extend the baseline to develop and deploy the gamified training solution as defined in an MVP in collaboration with the end-user.

Newly added Space 101 lessons teach students the fundamentals of behavior in Space (For example, classical orbital elements, frames of reference, orbit regimes, and maneuver transfer types) to prepare them for the more advanced RPO and on-orbit defensive Space C2 campaigns and scenarios.

Boecore’s Blue Force Defender™ combines cutting edge gamification and training principles with expert domain knowledge to deliver next-generation training experiences that engage Missile Defense Planners honing their skills in an ever-changing IAMD mission space.

Problem Statement

Key components of the warfighter training approach are antiquated and not engaging to their audience; as a result, warfighters are not able to effectively retain and synthesize core skills. Warfighters also report a lack of time to devote to training and the rarity of more expensive (but most effective) crew exercises. This problem is prevalent in domains from Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) to cyber network defense.

Innovation

Boecore, with its capability to develop innovative software solutions and its expertise in the key planning and training needs areas of BMDS and cyber network defense, has worked with MDA and stakeholders to develop a gamified trainer prototype for BMDS deliberate and crisis action planning as part of Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Topic MDA15-005. Boecore has independently refined lessons learned from that experience into a reusable process and core capability, Blue Force Defender™, for creating engaging, real-world training using gamification concepts that can be applied across missions.

Studies show that gamification improves motivation and participation in broad categories of activities by fulfilling a user’s psychological needs for competence, autonomy, and social relatedness. Boecore’s process includes stakeholder interviews as part of User Centered Design to understand the relationship between training needs and these psychological needs. This data, paired with an understanding of learning objectives and competence levels, forms the foundation of the gamification strategy. Our game designers integrate domain knowledge and learning objectives with game elements to create a compelling experience.

Boecore’s Blue Force Defender™ provides incentives, modes of play, and levels of competition to encourage frequent engagement so warfighters maintain operational readiness. And to ensure effectiveness, data and analytics on performance against learning objectives and scoring are key features for instructors along with scenario authoring to easily create what-if scenarios on the fly. Players can run through multiple scenarios quickly and watch each play out in a 3D graphical environment that puts their defense design to the test and view scores and feedback while checking out rankings on leaderboards. We have the tools to allow students and instructors to continually monitor and assess performance individually, cooperatively, or competitively.

Boecore tailors the training experience to the mission and its specific environment and learning objectives in which the warfighter operates. To accommodate the MDA’s evolving IAMD planning curriculum, we’ve complemented the missile domain with assets from the air domain, cruise missiles and air engagement zones, to introduce IAMD concepts to the JBTEC schoolhouse where the gamified trainer is being piloted as part of their latest curriculum.

Mission Planning

In development now is a more robust Mission Planning capability within Blue Force Defender™. As an IR&D initiative, Boecore’s IAMD and Space C2 gamified trainers arebbeing integrated to form a multi-domain operational picture with event reconstruction and AI/ML automated scenario generation to rapidly assess threats and impacts to missions, and formulate and fly-out COAs to assess effectiveness.

Problem Statement

Instructors training today’s students the fundamentals of Astrodynamics and Orbital Mechanics are challenged to provide a learning experience that is engaging, increases skill retention and effectively builds intuition around behaviors in Space. Instructors want to give students who take on the challenge to understand the concepts within this complex area of science the most out of their learning experience; providing students with learning tools that they are motivated to interact with because they are fun to use, adaptive, and challenging better ensures skill mastery and creates a real motivation to learn.

Our Solution

Boecore has developed a gamified training experience for students interested in learning about satellites, orbits, and maneuvering in the vacuum of Space all of which are governed by Kepler’s Laws; one that teaches the principles of Space in an engaging way for more effective skill retention and mastery while overcoming traditional learning limitations. Keplera™ provides an engaging learning experience that encourages students to “play” often from anywhere to quickly hone their skills and become experts. It provides incentives, modes of play, and levels of competition to encourage frequent engagement so students master learning objectives quicker and retain their proficiency. And to ensure effectiveness, data and analytics on performance against learning objectives and scoring are key features for instructors along with scenario authoring to easily create what-if scenarios on the fly. An easy-to-use virtual environment that is configurable for quick scenario authoring is critical to keeping the system affordable and extensible, so students remain challenged as learning objectives evolve.

Keplera™ solution has an intuitive game interface that offers skirmish and campaign modes and individual and team play modes to promote competition as players advance. Players are challenged to demonstrate understanding of learning objectives, Space Director’s guidance and Space asset management as they work to beat the clock in a variety of Space-based scenarios. The Space asset modeling & simulation engine, based on the Unity Game Engine, enables rapid visualization of on orbit satellites that players maneuver to try their skill at rendezvous and avoidance situations. Players can run through multiple scenarios quickly and watch each play out in a 3D graphical environment that puts their Space understanding to the test and view scores and feedback while checking out rankings on leaderboards. A Sandbox mode allows players to explore behaviors in Space at their pace; experimenting with the effects of changing classical orbital elements and maneuvering to match orbits or avoid conjunctions. A Two-Line Element (TLE) set import and edit capability allows players to study real-world satellite constellations and create their own satellites to understand behaviors in LEO, MEO, HEO, and GEO orbits and the differing types of orbit transfers including Lambert and Hohmann.

More About the Technology

Boecore’s Keplera™ solution has foundational game-based mechanics and game quality performance designed to improve user engagement, skill retention, performance assessment and sustained proficiency while reducing time of skill mastery and training costs. Its state-of-the-art game look & feel and rapid scenario authoring provide more engaging scenarios and improved user interaction for increased learning and retention. The performance metrics and learning analytics better assess the effectiveness of training and allow instructors to focus and shift learning goals, improving both student and instructor satisfaction.

V1.0 Features

Game Features: Unity Game Engine, Scoring & Leaderboard, Scenario Authoring, High-End Visualization Graphics, Sandbox Learning Mode, End-to-End Single Player, Skirmish & Campaign Modes, Knowledge Checks, Clock & Time Control, Space Director’s Guidance, After Action Review, and Tooltips & Help
Space Learning Features: Space 101 Lessons, Tutorial & Glossary of Terms, Basic Maneuvering & Orbit Previews, Satellite Propagation, Satellite Orbit Editor & Import, Natural & Forced Motion Circumnavigation (NMC/FMC), Inertial & RIC Frames of Reference, Satellite Baseball Cards, Engagement Zones, Delta-V Impulse & Fuel Awareness, and Satellite Rendezvous Proximity Operations (RPO) Scenarios for advanced players

Coming Soon!

More Space Learning Features: Imaging & Jamming, AI-enabled On-Orbit Offensive Capability, Solar/Earth/Moon Exclusion Angles, Launch Vehicle Avoidance, Space Object Surveillance & Identification (SOSI) Stations, Communication Envelopes, Fuel Optimization

Problem Statement

Modeling and Simulation (M&S) events allow the Missile Defense Agency (MDA) the ability to test the feasibility of the Missile Defense System (MDS) in new and complex ways that cannot be met with real-world scenarios due to cost, schedule, and practicality. These events require the ability to develop credible scenarios that meet system requirements and test objectives from multiple internal and external stakeholders. The current process is time-intensive and can take upwards of 2 years from the start of scenario planning to execution, in which time threats evolve and requirements change; it is also performed manually by SMEs who analyze past data sets, which are exponentially growing, while also considering novel test cases.

Our Solution

The challenge for the Rapid Scenario Prototype (RaSP) team is trying to meet the maximum number of test objectives with the fewest number of scenarios, which can vary from 5 to 30 scenarios per event. This process is performed sequentially through different product teams increasing both time and resources and reducing the ability to dynamically respond to the M&S Government customer’s needs. There is a stated need, through a 21.2 Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) topic, for an innovative process that reduces the timeline of the scenario planning phase and assists Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) in developing higher quality scenarios that meet test objectives and result in more complete test coverage; adding automation to the scenario development process will aid in schedule efficiency and reduce cost during the planning phase.

Boecore leveraged its extensive experience in MDA test planning and execution to design a solution called the Scenario Optimization Planning Engine (ScOPE) to aid in scenario planning for Missile Defense architectures. ScOPE, built on existing Boecore automation technologies, is an AI/ML-powered workflow augmentation capability that shortens iterative, time intensive scenario planning processes to responsively exercise the missile defense architecture. ScOPE will take test objectives and stakeholder requirements and produce an optimized set of scenarios and data attributes for each set of test objectives and requirements. ScOPE will be designed to integrate seamlessly with the MDA’s End-to-End Digital Integrated System-Level Simulation System (EDISS), and its smartly automated output will be added to the accredited scenario baselines in support of the overall digital test infrastructure of the MDA. There will be no additional steps required by planners or analysts to benefit from ScOPE. However, planners and analysts can optionally use the Gamified Missile Defense Planner to take advantage of the scenario visual verification and tailoring, which will then feed into AI/ML model improvement.

AI/ML Deep Learning

Generating credible scenarios for missile defense is a complex problem that requires significant computing resources, data, and expert knowledge. Deep Learning provides a mechanism by using an artificial neural network where neurons and strengthening of pathways are modeled after the human brain to progressively learn what a credible scenario looks like. The resulting neural network with its embedded expert knowledge can then accurately “predict” previously unidentified credible scenarios given new input scenario requirements.

The core aspects of the optimization process that shorten scenario planning times are the Digital Case Study (DCS) Optimizer and the AI/ML-powered Expert Scenario Generator. The DCS Optimizer optimizes the requirements mapping and detects testing gaps while the Expert Scenario Generator creates credible scenarios to fill any such testing gaps. Together, the two capabilities are the foundation of an efficient, adaptable process for ensuring that sufficient credible scenarios exist to meet missile defense architecture scenario requirements.

The DCS Optimizer leverages well-known Combinatorial Optimization techniques suited to solving similar problems. It (1) generates the digital case study that maximizes the number of test objectives met while limiting the number of scenarios required and (2) identifies any gaps (unmet test objectives). This capability will save planners from the complex, fluctuating process of manually keeping track of that scenario-requirements mapping – especially valuable given the number of times requirements can change during event planning. Once an optimal digital case study has been created with gaps identified, a user can create credible scenarios that optimally fill those gaps to meet remaining scenario requirements.

Integrated Visual Scenario Verification

Integrated Visual Scenario Verification: The Gamified Missile Defense Planner (TRL 6) was originally developed under the MDA Gaming Trainer SBIR (MDA15-005) and is demonstrating proven value today at MDA’s Joint Ballistic Missile Defense Training & Education Center (JBTEC) Schoolhouse. It provides an intuitive and engaging event planning environment for automated visual verification of generated scenarios against test objectives. To enhance the process of evaluating the soundness of recommended scenarios, the Boecore Gamified Missile Defense Planner will be modified to ingest generated scenario data to give stakeholders a quick look at a scenario showing the laydowns and flyout picture to aid in stakeholder evaluation of the scenarios.

Through the user-friendly Gamified Missile Defense Planner interface, threats and assets can be adjusted to a more credible configuration. This facilitates an Agile scenario planning process reducing the time and providing an efficient mechanism to allow scenario stakeholders to quickly evaluate recommended scenarios improving responsiveness of M&S to Government needs.