The DARWIN system provides web-based remote
access to the integrated knowledge generated from
advanced wind-tunnel instrumentation suites and by
sophisticated numerical simulation codes. Every year
at Ames Research Center, these independent sources
generate large volumes of high-quality data on flight
vehicles. However, these data are only valuable to
the design process if they can be readily accessed,
analyzed, and applied by aerospace engineers. The
DARWIN system has been developed in conjunction
with new computational and experimental test
technologies to enhance design-cycle productivity by
providing design engineers with faster and better
access to these valuable data.
DARWIN allows engineers to securely access
and analyze these aerospace data from remote
locations. Once engineers have been provided with a
DARWIN account, they can use a web browser to
visit the DARWIN secure web site and log in. The
DARWIN web pages present data from only those
tests for which users have been granted access (see
figure 1). After logging in users can browse through
the tests or query the database for specific information.
Data from wind tunnel tests in progress can be
viewed on a "live" screen that updates its displays in
near real time to reflect the most recent results. Both
live and archival data are displayed in user-configurable
tables and plots. Once the user has
retrieved a set of data and adjusted the tables and
plots as desired, the work can be saved as a DARWIN
data set. All the user's data sets are stored in a
hierarchical "folder tree," which operates similarly to
a Macintosh or Windows desktop. The user can add
or delete DARWIN data sets, post files (such as text
documents or spreadsheets or images), make links to
other web sites, and create folders to organize them
all. Unlike a PC, however, the folder tree is available
to the user via a web browser from whatever
machine and location the user chooses.
DARWIN has been deployed at Ames since 1997
as a tool for remotely accessing wind tunnel data. It
has been popular with engineers for its live monitoring
capabilities and its cross-test comparison features.
In 1999 significant advances were made in broadening
the DARWIN system to capture the results of
computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations as
well as test data from the tunnels. A major limitation
of the system was its restriction to 241 variables, 31
of which were fixed and always required. Although
these variables were pertinent to certain types of
wind tunnel tests, they were not always germane to
CFD results or to spacecraft models. Thus, the first
major step in this process was redesigning the
DARWIN database so that it could capture any type
and number of variables associated with the data.
The user interface software was rewritten to take
advantage of the new database model and to provide
displays that were custom-tailored to CFD requirements.
The second step involved generalizing the
DARWIN loading routines to accept input files from a
variety of systems, not just from the Ames wind
tunnels. With these advances in place, DARWIN is
well on its way to becoming a general data management
tool for the Aero-Space Enterprise.
Point of Contact: J. Walton
(650) 604-2005
jdwalton@mail.arc.nasa.gov
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