Engineering Disciplines

FGM maintains a high level of competency across a variety of engineering disciplines including:

We are adept at using leading edge and open source technologies to rapidly deploy cost effective information technology (IT) solutions to our customers. We focus on the practical application of new and emerging technologies and have earned a reputation for striking a balance between leading edge and mature technologies. 

To be successful at what we do takes a corporate commitment to continued learning and proficiency.  All of FGM’s engineering projects follow a corporate-wide set of best practices. Processes are laid out for key phases of the development life cycle including project management, requirements definition, requirements management, design and development, risk management, integration, and testing.  Adhering to a standard set of guidelines ensures that each development effort measures up to FGM’s high standard of quality.

Enterprise Architecture

A successful enterprise architecture must be driven by specific business needs, not by the whims of the latest technology. 

FGM’s proven approach to building an enterprise architecture begins with developing a roadmap, driven by corporate business objectives, that continually assesses the “as-is” state of the enterprise. The roadmap also provides a plan for incremental evolution to an ever more capable “to-be” state. The evolutionary aspect is an important improvement over earlier approaches because it preserves and leverages existing IT investments, continues to support mission critical functions during the evolution, and provides management with unprecedented flexibility to balance cost, business needs, and schedule.

At FGM, we select methodologies and analysis tools appropriate for our customers’ unique needs. For example, we used the Zachman Framework, supported by the Metis tool, to help develop the OneVA enterprise architecture for the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). This successful effort is being used to drive VA IT investments as they consolidate and streamline operations to improve service internally and service to their ultimate customer—the American veteran.

For our Department of Defense (DoD) customers, we use the DODAF methodology in conjunction with the Popkin System Architect analysis tool suite to develop a DoD-wide architecture as an enabler for net-centric operations. This represents an extraordinary transformation in the way that the DoD conducts operations by providing American and coalition forces with the ability to share information in the on-going war on terrorism in ways and at speeds that have previously been impossible to achieve.

We have been involved in designing many important enterprise architectures, systems, and initiatives including:

  • Net-Centric Enterprise Services (NCES)
  • Metadata Registry (MDR)
  • Data Strategy Tools
  • Service Oriented Architecture Foundation (SOAF)
  • Network Enabled Command Capability
  • NECC Architecture
  • XML Gateway Cross Domain Solution
  • Marine Corps Enterprise Shared Data Environment (ESDE)
  • Department of Veterans Affairs Enterprise Architecture
  • Federated Development and Certification Environment (FDCE)

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Service-Oriented Architectures (SOA)

FGM has the breadth and depth of experience required to design a tailored SOA or to reuse an existing SOA to meet your organization’s needs.

Adopting a Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) implementation approach for building information technology (IT) systems allows your organization to enjoy increased agility and responsiveness to evolving information needs.  A SOA emphasizes the development of coarse grained, loosely coupled functionality that is accessible through standards-based, platform-independent interfaces. Discrete SOA functionality is encapsulated as services, which may be distributed across the network and accessed asynchronously by exchanging standards-based messages. This innovative architecture approach demonstrates how to use the power of Web Services standards such as XML and SOAP, and platform-neutral technologies such as Java™, to extend application integration from the platform level to the network.

FGM is a leader in developing and fielding SOA-based applications that improve the efficiency of your IT infrastructure and applications, and enhance collaboration among disparate, heterogeneous systems and information sources. Customers that we have helped enjoy the benefits of SOA implementation include the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA). Through the Net-Centric Enterprise Services (NCES) Program, we worked closely with DISA to define the infrastructure required to create an SOA foundation suitable for Department of Defense (DoD) net-centric applications. We built and provide full lifecycle support for the DoD Metadata Registry & Clearinghouse (MDR) service. The MDR is the centerpiece of the DoD’s Data Strategy and it is a cornerstone for ensuring interoperability among SOA-based applications operating on the Global Information Grid (GIG).

FGM has also designed and implemented a complete suite of SOA products to create an open and versatile enterprise infrastructure suitable for building and fielding net-centric applications. The resulting product, OpenSOA, is an integrated collection of open source and commercial products.

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Software Engineering

FGM’s superior technical prowess results in sophisticated, state-of-the-art systems.

FGM’s software engineering experience includes database systems, systems engineering, Internet and web-based systems, geo-visualization and mapping systems, information assurance, modeling and simulation, combat support systems, C4ISR systems, and import/export control systems. FGM provides system architecture design, analysis, and engineering expertise. We are Software Process Improvement driven, emphasizing industry best practices including software methodologies and Rapid Application Development (RAD) process frameworks such as Ruby on Rails and IBM’s Rational Unified Process (RUP); and agile programming methodologies such as eXtreme Programming (XP) and Scrum. We have subject matter experts in Enterprise Architecture (EA), Information Operations (IO), information management, web application development, database administration, systems development, and much more.  FGM’s prowess in current technological trends is represented in the following table:

Areas of Expertise

Tools

Latest programming environments

Tango, Perl, Javascript, Fusebox methodologies, CSS, Flex, Java, C, C++

Data modeling

IDEP1x, ER-models, Unified Modeling Language (UML)

Content modeling

eXtensible Markup Language (XML)  

Information systems engineering and database development

Oracle, Structured Query Language (SQL) Server, Informix, Sybase, Versant, and other databases 

Enterprise technologies

Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE), Enterprise Java Beans (EJB), Jini (OpenWings), Apache Tomcat 

Internet and web portal technologies

BEA WebLogic, Microsoft SharePoint, dynamic web content using .NET, Java Server Pages (JSP), PHP: Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP), Cold Fusion, Active Server Pages (ASP), and Common Gateway Interface (CGI)  

Additional web technologies

Ajax, HTML, and JavaScript 

SOA technologies including service discovery, machine-to-machine messaging, enterprise service management metadata services

BEA Aqualogic, WebMethods “Fabric”, SystiNet Universal Description, Discovery and Integration (UDDI) Discovery, inFravio, AmberPoint Enterprise Services Management (ESM), Sonic Enterprise Services Bus (ESB), IBM DataPower, and Oracle’s BPEL

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Lifecycle Engineering

FGM’s lifecycle engineering approach is flexible, yet rigorous, covering all lifecycle phases from requirements through maintenance and sustainment. 

The lifecycle model selected for a project can greatly influence project success.  Software lifecycle models describe phases of the engineering effort and the order in which those phases are executed.  These models range from agile, to iterative, to sequential. FGM selects the best model for a particular project based on project-specific factors such as level of anticipated project risk, degree to which requirements are known, development team size, and project complexity. The engineering activities involved, which may include software or systems engineering tasks, or a combination thereof, are also an important consideration in determining the lifecycle engineering approach.

We approach all lifecycle engineering activities in a manner that most efficiently and effectively satisfies current requirements while anticipating future enhancements. We evaluate a customer’s technical requirements and consider environmental factors, such as their workflow and culture. Our customers, including the Department of State, have reaped the benefits of our customer-centric, lifecycle engineering approach.

On the Tracker program for the Department of State, FGM designed, developed, and maintains an internationally deployed trade control system. This complex system involves managing requirements from multiple countries that are implemented as part of an iterative development lifecycle. This approach ensures rapid fielding as at least one version of the Tracker system is available for deployment while another is in development. Because system users are geographically dispersed, we included a mechanism on the support website to allow users to submit requirements from anywhere around the globe. Our work on the Tracker program is an excellent example of a full life-cycle engineering program that has very complex functionality, deployment, and maintenance requirements.

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Systems Engineering

We approach systems engineering from a technology neutral standpoint. We do not push our own proprietary solutions—we listen and advise rather than preach or pressure. 

We understand that even the most exceptional technical solutions run a risk of failure if the solution does not take a holistic view of the customer. Therefore, we begin all systems engineering efforts by developing a clear understanding of the business and functional relationships between the direct customer, stakeholders, and related constituencies.  We identify constraints that could prevent full acceptance of the solution and mitigate them during the life cycle.

Snapshot of FGM’s Systems Engineering Activities 

Benefits 

Develop system architecture 

Provides executable plan for a solution that will conform to and support the customer’s roadmap.

Allocate requirements to system components 

Ensures all requirements are met and are traceable to the resulting system.

Perform cost, performance, and technology trade-offs 

Ensures most appropriate COTS and open source products are selected, and to-be-built components are identified.

Plan, develop, and execute test and evaluation (T&E) activities 

Verifies system functionality and performance expectations are achieved.

Plan and perform certification and accreditation (C&A) activities 

Ensures system meets relevant security and information assurance requirements.

We have performed systems engineering for DoD-wide and military Service-specific projects, the State Department, the Veterans Administration, and international civil agencies. FGM has been providing several command offices of the Pacific Air Forces (PACAF) at Hickam, AFB with on-site systems and software engineering support for more than 18 years.  As part of this tasking, FGM provides systems engineering support to enhance the HQ PACAF C4I Internet and Intranet tools, including the development of strategies to improve information management, collation, and dissemination. FGM plans, designs, and implements structures for dynamic data presentation using centralized storage; creates and maintains World Wide Web information sources; and, provides technical expertise for the development of web-enabled solutions as needed by the Air Force Director of Space (DO) organizations.

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Systems Integration

Demands for efficiency and improved effectiveness weigh heavily on Federal Government organizations. In the push to do more with less, they must make critical choices that serve not only an immediate need, but also allow flexibility and scalability to accommodate future, yet-to-be identified requirements. 

FGM’s approach to systems integration involves a rigorous and proven methodology that incorporates considerations of not only technical requirements, but also cultural and external elements. We “right size” this process to meet a customer’s needs, budgets, and objectives. Our approach fits the technology and methodology that meets a customer’s individual objectives. In systems integration, there is not a one-size-fits all or silver bullet solution; instead, there are open source, COTS, GOTS, and reusable components and practices that can speed implementation times and leverage best practices.

Leveraging Open Source and COTS Products for Cost and Time Savings

FGM has successfully implemented flexible, open source and COTS technology solutions for our customers—such as the Geneva International Center for Humanitarian Demining (GICHD) and the Department of State—without compromising functionality, scalability, or ease of maintenance. Working closely with the GICHD, FGM completely redesigned the existing standalone Information Management System for Mine Action (IMSMA) (PDF) application, initially built on proprietary technologies, into an adaptable information management solution.  Using new and innovative Open Source technologies, as well as the ArcGIS geospatial information system commercial product, we significantly shortened the development timeline and provided substantial cost savings.

Evolving Legacy Systems to Maximize Technology Investments

 We also have significant experience in integrating new capabilities and technologies into existing systems. We maximize our customers’ technology investments while improving their effectiveness. On the Integrated Space Command and Control (ISC2) program, FGM was instrumental in integrating approximately 40 systems into a common, interoperable C2 information technology infrastructure, giving commanders at the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) new flexibility to handle growing mission responsibilities. The enhanced capability allows commanders to synchronize C2 operations, providing faster response to enemy actions and improved strategic and tactical coordination among forces.

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