NETN FOM Support in MAK ONE
by Jim Kogler
Coming with the MAK ONE 2024 release, the MAK ONE suite will start using the NETN (or NATO) FOM for all default HLA-based connections. NETN (NATO Education and Training Network) FOM is the NATO Distributed Simulation FOM, which was developed by the NATO Modeling and Simulation Group (MNSG) and is available online (NETN FOM (amsp-04.github.io).
The NETN FOM is an extension of the RPR FOM developed by SISO. MAK ONE applications have historically used RPR FOM as our default configuration for HLA. By moving to NETN, MAK ONE Applications (VR-Forces, VR-Vantage, and VR-Engage) will take advantage of NETN FOM modules to transmit what was previously opaque internal data in a transparent and standard way.
Because the NETN FOM is implemented through a series of optional FOM Modules, customers wishing to connect to MAK ONE Applications using the base RPR FOM will still be able to do so. However, some data needed for VR-Forces to interoperate with other MAK ONE Applications will require that NETN FOM Modules be used. For example, MAK plans to transmit all weather data using the NETN METOC FOM Module. The METOC FOM Module is a meteorological module distributed with the NETN FOM. Previously, MAK used undocumented data structures in the Environmental Process Object to transmit weather models. By moving to the NETN FOM, MAK ONE Applications will be able to receive weather from external weather servers that meet NETN METOC requirements. Similarly, MAK ONE Applications like VR-Forces will be able to stimulate external federates’ weather requirements in an open and standard way.
MAK is fully committed to open standards, open APIs, and open systems. We believe that the addition of NETN Support will make it easier for our customers to connect external systems together to deliver powerful training systems faster than ever before.
If you’ve got questions or want to talk to our team about what this means for you, reach out to us at
