The HSVO Simulator Environment Control Specification (SECS)

Rachel Ellaway1, David Topps2

1Northern Ontario School of Medicine, 2University of Calgary

MedBiquitous 2012

Conflict of interest

I have no involvement with industry that creates a conflict of interest to disclose with respect to this workshop

What’s the problem?

• Simulation devices are unitary, unconnected, perhaps unconnectable to each other and to other technologies

• At most there is some connectivity through vendor tracking systems

• Limited ROI on simulator tech• Limited applicability and scope of use• Problems amplified in distributed medical

education programs

HSVO

• NEP: Network enabled platform• Connecting heterogeneous devices:

virtual patients (OL), mannequins (Laerdal SimMan 3G), light fields (virtualised cameras), 3D visualization (RSV and Volseg), multiple data sources (CMA, Medline)

• Integrated NEP connects and controls devices (physical, online, distributed, helper) both for scenarios and sessions

Architecture

edge device

Architecture

edge device

activity activity activity

activity activity activity

Architecture

edge device

activity activity activity

activity activity activity

bus interface HSVONEP

Architecture

HSVONEP

What goes over the wires?

• HSVO Simulator Environment Control Specification (SECS) – using XML  

SECS Messaging

HSVONEP Edge Device

(simulator)

Bus Interface

device-specific

messages

SECSmessages

Concepts

• Activity: a configuration of an edge device that provides discrete user or data interactions.

• HSVONEP: the core authoring and runtime controller and router

• Scenario: a template defining the workflow with edge devices and the transitions from one device to another.

• Session: an instance of a scenario that adds timing and specific users. One scenario can be used to create multiple sessions.

Scenario Rules

• HSVONEP holds the scenario specification as a set of rules

• Use these devices and these activities at each device

• Start with this, end with that• If this happens then change

devices/actions/parameters

SECS ActionsMessage Flow Message Action(s)Initializing a Session authenticate

acknowledgeload

Running a Session startpauseresumegetStatusreportStatussetParameterstopendSession

Session Independent getProfilereportProfile

load

• HSVONEP tells a service to load certain configuration data for an activity. The service waits for a “start” message before it starts running the activity.

<message action=”load” ID=”3478” sessionID=“123”>

<service ID=”2” activityID=”9” serviceUserID=”rellaway”/>

</message>

start

• HSVONEP tells a service it to start running its activity

<message action=”start” ID=”3453” sessionID=“123-514-001”>

<service ID=”2” activityID=”9” serviceUserID=”rellaway”/>

</message>

pause

• HSVONEP tells a specified service to stop playing its activity. The activity remains paused until it receives a “resume” action.

<message action=”pause” ID=”6756” sessionID=“123”>

<service ID=”1” activityID=”981” serviceUserID=”rellaway”/></message>

resume

• HSVONEP tells a service to resume its activity following a “pause” action.

<message action=”resume” ID=”6759” sessionID=“123”>

<service ID=”2 activityID=”9” serviceUserID=”rellaway”/></message>

stop

• HSVONEP tells a service telling it to stop.

<message action=”stop” ID=”” sessionID=””> <service ID=”” activityID=”” serviceUserID=””/></message><message action=”stop” ID=”534” sessionID=“123”> <service ID=”2” activityID=”9” serviceUserID=”rell”/></message>

getStatus

• HSVONEP requests a “reportStatus” message outlining a service’s current state within the session.

<message action=”getStatus” ID=”4565” sessionID=“123”> <service ID=”1” activityID=”981”

serviceUserID=”rell”/></message>

reportStatus

• A service tells HSVONEP what it’s doing including listing available parameters and their current values within a specified session context.

<message action=”reportStatus” sessionID=“123”> <service ID=”1” activityID=”981”

serviceUserID=”re”> <activityParameters> <activityParameter ID=”1” value=”6”/> <activityParameter ID=”2” value=”144”/> </activityParameters> </session></message

setParameter

• HSVONEP tells a service instructing it to change one or more variables in an activity. <message action=”setParameter” ID=”7698” sessionID=“123”><service ID=”1” activityID=”981” serviceUserID=””><activityParameters>

<activityParameter ID=”1” value=”1”/><activityParameter ID=”2”

value=”46”/></activityParameters></service></message>

endSession

• HSVONEP tells all services in the same session to unload parameters, release licenses and resources, and to drop all threads.

<message action=”endSession” ID=”4554” sessionID=“123-514-001”/>

getProfile

• HSVONEP tells a service to respond with a “reportStatus” message outlining its current state independent of a session.

<message action=”getProfile” serviceID=”43” />

reportProfile

• A service tells HSVONEP what it can do listing available activities and their parameters in response to a “reportProfile” message.

<message action=”reportProfile” serviceID=”43” ><activity ID=“64”><activityLabel>Shock</activityLabel>

<activityParameters> <activityParameter ID=”17” value=”6”/>

</activityParameters></activity>

</message

Put it all together

Scenario specifies what happensHSVONEP controls how this is run by sending

SECS messages:• Devices 1 and 2 load (D1 and D2)• D1 starts• An event triggers a rule that pauses D1 and

starts D2• Another event triggers a rule that pauses

D2, switches back to D1 and syncs their data

Use cases

• Integrate onscreen and physical sims• Sync 2 or more mannequins• Run integrated sim activities over multiple

sites• Connect alternative helpers such as

physiological algorithms to sims• Track and feedback on multi-sim

performance• Open model for experimentation and

discovery

SECS in context

• Simple, device agnostic• Open specification• But simulation integration still in R&D• Adoption path unclear• IEEE model more complex but has

more momentum including being a standard

• Lessons from RSS, CC etc?

Sim Challenge

but

And it’s a big but

• Almost no simulators really ready for this (lovely) architecture

• SimMan 3G most open and can support only a small part of the SECS spec

• OpenLabyrinth support but a hack – asymmetry and non-orthogonality with other devices

• HSVO resorted to VNC solutions - nasty and unaesthetic but much improved functionality

• What will simulation really interoperability look like?

• Is beauty truth?

The HSVO Simulator Environment Control Specification (SECS)

Rachel Ellaway1, David Topps2

1Northern Ontario School of Medicine, 2University of Calgary

MedBiquitous 2012