International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 30-November 02, 1995 / Riviera Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada / GPS user equipment has matured and is now available to support the use of live players in integrated ranges and simulations. P-code GPS provides true WGS-84 based coordinate information anywhere in the world at any time and to accuracies at the 5 ft (1s) level (demonstrated in high dynamic aircraft using differential P-code GPS). C/A code GPS shows lower accuracy and is especially vulnerable to multipath degradation over water. In supporting networked ranges with simulations, GPS is directly applicable to the dead reckoning requirements of the Distributed Interactive Simulation (DIS) community. DIS dead reckoning provides the capability of much reduced data rates in recovering TSPI information from platforms. The on-board state vector for an integrated GPS/Inertial Reference Unit provides accurate position, velocity and acceleration as well as attitude and attitude rate information so that dead reckoning thresholds can be both position and attitude driven. A simplified analysis is presented in the paper to derive dead reckoning update rates from the G loading levels of various player dynamics. Also, information is provided which results in word length requirements for GPS-based state vector information for transmission over minimum word length DIS Field Instrumentation Protocol Data Units (PDUs, which are the data block formats). The coordinate frame problem in use of GPS-based state vector information from fixed ranges is also addressed, showing that the use of a local geodetic frame is preferable to the use of an earth centered earth fixed frame, in that it is more efficient of network PDU word length.

This document discusses the concept of drivers implemented within the context of the REMPLI (Real-Time Energy Management over Power line and Internet, see section 1.8.) network. The process image approach and the tunnelling approach are presented and reasoning is given why the tunnelling approach is preferred. Each of the drivers implemented is associated with a specific metering protocol. This document further discusses the general architecture of such a driver structure. The generic software architecture serves as a framework for integrating serial communication based metering protocols over packet-orientated remote networks and meters, by tunnelling the protocol data units to the remote meters. Principally each Protocol Driver consists of three parts, one part situated at the Application Server, one at the Access Point and one at the Node. This document then gives a description of the general driver structure within the REMPLI network and briefly explains the functions of all the modules contained within the driver structure. An example is used to show how these modules, which make up the software architecture of the Protocol Driver, are used to send an application generated request from the Application Server to the Metering Equipment and sending the response back from the remote Metering Equipment to the Application Server. This dissertation further discusses the need for address translation within the REMPLI network and the need to restrict access to meters by using these addresses and an access control list. This document also discusses the need for a “Keep-alive” signalling scheme, if supported by the underlying protocol and gives a general concept as to how it should be implemented. The role of an Optimization Module is also discussed for low bandwidth networks by means of an M-Bus example. Finally the M-Bus protocol driver implementation is discussed. The results achieved are presented, showing that the driver architecture can successfully be used to tunnel the M-Bus protocol to remote meters, provided the underlying network conforms to the quality of service requirements determined by the implemented metering protocol. The work proposed in this document started off as part of the REMPLI project by the REMPLI team but was completed independently. / Dissertation (MEng (Computer Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Electrical, Electronic and Computer Engineering / unrestricted