Energetics Informatics

PI: Mr. Dylan Hazelwood and Mr. Robert Kaczmarek

ETC/CECD/NSWCIH have begun the development of an information system and knowledge base to support a wide range of energetics research and development needs. The ultimate goal is to have a knowledge base that contains or has access to existing raw data and processed information – and will be improved and supplemented by expert knowledge from energetics subject matter experts.

Energetics Informatics Data Warehouse (EIDW) utilizes a state-of-the-art associative database management system to assimilate, organize, relate, and present a broad range of energetics data from a variety of sources. A web-based front-end to the system has been developed to allow end users to view and mine the data using an interface customized to their level of access and to their preferred point of entry.The novel associative data model approach adopted by the team has a number of benefits compared to a traditional relational data model, including both high speed traversal of large data
collections and a higher level of structural flexibility that allows for both rapid database development and the freedom to quickly create new or modify existing relationships between data elements as needed. This approach centers each data element in its own universe, and allows the end user to discover relationships within their data that may not have been apparent using other systems.

A prototype system is being developed, which contains key Navy energetics documents and databases related to explosives, pyrotechnics, and propellants. To assist in characterizing the state of energetics in other countries, abstracts from more than 600 papers and journal articles from around the world were assimilated into the system. Some 20 databases and thousands of pages of other relevant documentation have been incorporated as well. Areas of focus for current and near term data collection efforts include:

• Identification of sources of energetic data, both electronic and paper-based
• Collection of open source energetics data based on keywords and other parameters (e.g., country of origin)
• Documentation of user needs and priority of requirements for new capability development
• Identification of algorithms, models, and other tools needed to perform customized queries and analysis.

The overall objective of this effort is to deliver a production level information management and analysis system to support the varied needs of organizations related to energetics materials and technology. Based on user feedback, initial areas of interest include:

• Taxonomy of Energetics
• Foreign Documentation
• Expert Knowledge-Related Data of Interest

A "tag cloud" created with energetics taxomomy data from NSWCIH representing the frequency of terms appear in data elements in the EIDW.