Base Object Model (BOM) Current Events

BOM Experimental 2010 Schema now available!


It has been fours year now since the standardization of the Base Object Model (BOM) within SISO.  Over the past four years a SISO Product Support Group (PSG) has supported and analyzed how BOMs have been used to support conceptual modeling and object modeling for Modeling and Simulation (M&S) and System Engineering projects.  While, the BOM standard has very effective, there are some areas of improvement that have been identified.  The result is a new experimental schema to consider for future BOM Product revision.
Several enhancements have been incorporated into this new schema including the following:

  • Conceptual Model improvements
    • Pattern, State Machine “containers”
    • Conceptual Entity / Event Composability
      • Characteristic “Has-A” conceptual entity/event now supported
      • Used to show what an abstract entity/event embodies
    • Mappings folded into the Conceptual Entity / Event,
      • Reduces excess / redundant information
      • Used to link known SDEM classes that can support Entity/Event
  • Object Model now Simulation Data Exchange Model (SDEM)
  • SDEM improvements
    • Architecture independent; relaxed “HLA” constructs
    • Object Class now identified as Persistent Class
    • Interaction Class now identified as Transient Class
    • Added extensions place holder for HLA, TENA, CTIA, DIS specific characteristics
    • More reusable classes; removed nested object classes / interaction classes and replaced with linked data to parent(s).
  • Element can be marked with community related taxonomy marking
  • Update Model Id (Discovery Metadata) to be more like MSC-DMS


 BOM Standard Approved!!

BOMers,

The 'BOM Template Specification' (SISO-STD-003-2006) and its 'Guide For BOM Use and Implementation' (SISO-STD-003.1-2006) have been approved by both the SAC and the EXCOM. As of May 8th, 2006 these are now real, valid, honest to goodness SISO standards! Congratulations, and once again thanks for your hard work!!

As a heads up - the PDG (which will be tranistioning to a PSG at the next SISO SIW) is interested in hearing about any and all applications of this standard to your problem domains. Please let us know about your efforts, your questions, and your training needs - contact us!


BOM Specification and Guidance Balloting Results!

PDG members,

It is with great pleasure and excitement that I am able to announce the results of the balloting period for the BOM Specification and its associated Guidance Document:

  • SISO-STD-003.0-DRAFT-V0.12 - Guide for BOM Use and Implementation
  • SISO-STD-003.1-DRAFT-V0.12 - Base Object Model (BOM) Template Specification

The final tallies are in and the summarized results are as follows:

  • 36 of the 38 ballot pool members responded!! That is a 94.74% overall response from the balloters – this is excellent participation – Thank You All !!
  • We had 35 accept/reject votes and 1 abstention on the Guidance Document
  • We had 36 accept/reject votes on the Standard
This means the product ballot process is valid because we have met the two requirements per SISO BPDP Section 4.3.6: minimum ballot return percentage of 75% – we hit 94.74%; and, less than 30% abstention – we had 1 abstention (i.e., 2.63%) on the Guidance Document. From this point forward, the percentage-computations are to be based on the total number of accept/reject votes received (per SISO BPDP Section 4.3.6) – which is 35 for the Guidance and 36 for the Specification.

For the Guidance Document the 35 accept/reject votes break down as follows:
  • 17 of the 35 voted to accept. That is a 48.57% response to accept
  • 17 of the 35 voted to accept with comment. That is a 48.57% response to accept with comment
  • The above two provides an overall 34 of 35 votes for acceptance. That is a 97.14% response to accept
  • 1 of the 35 voted to reject with comment. That is a 2.86% response to reject with comment
This means that the ballot result for the Guidance document has met the requirement for a valid and successful ballot per SISO BPDP Section 4.3.6: at least 65% of the accept/reject ballots must be for accept – we hit 97.14%. Therefore, the Guidance document can proceed on to the next step of the process which is the SISO BPDP Product Approval Step – Section 4.4 of the BPDP.

For the Specification the 36 accept/reject votes break down as follows:
  • 16 of the 36 voted to accept. That is a 44.44% response to accept
  • 19 of the 36 voted to accept with comment. That is a 52.77% response to accept with comment
  • The above two provides an overall 35 of 36 votes for acceptance. That is a 97.21% response to accept
  • 1 of the 36 voted to reject with comment. That is a 2.77% response to reject with comment
This means that the ballot result for the Specification document has met the requirement for a valid and successful ballot per SISO BPDP Section 4.3.6: at least 75% of the accept/reject ballots must be for accept – we hit 97.21%. Therefore, the Specification document can proceed on to the next step of the process which is the SISO BPDP Product Approval Step – Section 4.4 of the BPDP.


BOM Blog Launched

What is a Blog? In simple terms, a blog is a web site, where you write stuff on an ongoing basis. New stuff shows up at the top, so your visitors can read what's new. Then they comment on it or link to it or email you. Or not. Since Blogger was launched, almost five years ago, blogs have reshaped the web, impacted politics, shaken up journalism, and enabled millions of people to have a voice and connect with others.

The BOM Blog is intended to provide a different type of presence on the web for members of the BOM Product Development Group (PDG) and the general simulation community to discover and discuss BOM technologies, tools, transition, and development experiences. The BOM Blog provides an excellent communication tool for the web-sharing of BOM related news, links, questions, thoughts, discussion threads, and ideas. We hope that you frequent this BLOG often and participate in the discussions!

Go BOM Blogging Now!


BOM Usage and Transition Survey

In an effort to obtain community input as to how best to support the transition of the BOM related specifications to official SISO standards, an on-line transition survey has been posted. Please take the time to complete the survey and provide us your thoughts. Results of the survey will be presented at the Fall'04 SISO SIW BOM PDG Session.   Click here to take the BOM Survey now!


BOMworks™ Tool

For those needing a tool to assist them in their development and application of BOMs, SimVentions is accepting requests for beta testers of their BOM tool - titled BOMworks™. Find out more!


Featured Related Technology

SRML: A Foundation for Representing BOMs and Supporting Reuse In his article in the March 2003 issue of Simulation Technology Magazine, Steve Reichenthal shows how to bring BOMs to life using the Simulation Reference Markup Language (SRML).