Multi-agent Modeling and Simulation Approach for Design and Analysis

A space mission operations system is a complex network of human organizations, information systems, deep-space communication systems and spacecraft hardware. As in other organizations, one of the problems in mission operations is managing the relationship of the mission information systems to how people actually work (practices). Brahms, a multi-agent modeling and simulation tool, was used to model and simulate NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission operations work practice. The objective was to investigate the value of work practice modeling for mission operations design. From spring 2002 until winter 2003, the first author participated in mission operations design sessions and observed operations field tests for the MER mission held at Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). We discuss mission operations designers ’ interaction with the Brahms tools, their reactions to the simulation output during model validation and our work on modeling computer systems and people’s interaction with systems. This project spurred JPL’s interest in the Brahms model, but it was never included as part of the formal mission operations design process. We discuss why this occurred. We also suggest how Brahms might have been used differently to reveal human-computer interaction problems with operations software, which emerged in training exercises and during the mission. 1. BRAHMS Brahms was conceived as a business process modeling and simulation tool that incorporates the social systems of work, thus illuminating how formal process flow descriptions relate to people’s actual located activities in the work place [1-2]. Brahms consists of an agent-based modeling language and simulation environment called the Brahms Integrated Development Environment (IDE) [3]. The Brahms Composer (Figure 1), part of the IDE, offers various connected design views that are based on th