Navy deploys Sandia workflow software

• By Joab Jackson
• Jan 30, 2008

A fleet of Navy destroyers will utilize workflow software developed by the Energy Department's Sandia National Laboratories.

Lockheed Martin, the lead contractor for building the fleet of DDG 1000s, has licensed the Jess rules engine for onboard use, DOE said this week.

'I feel confident that we made the right choice with Jess,' said Greg Harrison, a Lockheed systems engineer, in a statement. He noted that the company undertook an extensive study of possible programs, but found Jess worked best with the DDG 1000 data repository.

Version 7.1a3 will be used to help manage the alarm system and help evaluate the safety of the ship.

Jess is a Java-based business rules engine developed by Sandia. Running on the Eclipse platform, the software lets developers build workflow and business rules directly into Java applications. "Java software that has the capacity to 'reason' using knowledge you supply in the form of declarative rules," the program's Web site says.

In addition to Lockheed Martin, Sandia has licensed Jess out to corporations, academic institutions and other government agencies.