Thomas Holland Email and Phone Number

Technical area expert for Modeling and Simulation pertaining to USMC related activities and programs. Development of software architectures and solutions for modeling set-based design systems and managing the design, development, and demonstration of simulation experiments. Modeling and Simulation supporting applied research from “blue sky” concepts for the future battlespace to model-based solutions for fielded expeditionary applications.

As the Chief Engineer for the USMC Framework Assessing Cost & Technology (FACT), I am responsible to the Marine Corps’ Systems Engineering, Interoperability, Architectures and Technology (SIAT) office for the harmonization of requirements, capabilities, and talent to develop and sustain the FACT. FACT is a process solution enabling model based systems engineering (MBSE) through the interconnection of multiple disparate modeling domains in order to generate concurrent and comprehensive… Show more As the Chief Engineer for the USMC Framework Assessing Cost & Technology (FACT), I am responsible to the Marine Corps’ Systems Engineering, Interoperability, Architectures and Technology (SIAT) office for the harmonization of requirements, capabilities, and talent to develop and sustain the FACT. FACT is a process solution enabling model based systems engineering (MBSE) through the interconnection of multiple disparate modeling domains in order to generate concurrent and comprehensive information to aid in acquisition program decision-making. FACT is realized as a web-based modeling, simulation, and analysis toolset addressing all aspects of lifecycle systems engineering. FACT is not a model, but instead is an architecture that routes data between users, data sources, models, and analysis methods and presents results in a dynamic and visually intuitive format. As a web-based framework, FACT encourages collaboration between users, enabling a geographically distributed team of subject matter experts (SMEs) to explore and optimize a system’s parameters, share designs, and consider results all in real-time. In this way anyone involved with any aspect of a system life-cycle, system engineers to program managers, have unprecedented access to the latest system design at all points of the acquisition process. FACT manages all data behind the scenes, and removes the usual delay associated with traditional personnel communication. This greatly reduces the complexity of managing and interacting with the various life-cycle domains that must be considered, and maintains systems decision pedigree. In short, the FACT solution allows for bottom-up, detailed system designs to be built, explored in a top-down concurrent cross-domain fashion, filtered and scored against a set of dynamically assigned requirements. Show less

TAEs are selected subject matter experts in specialty areas who are responsible for providing technical oversight and advice to program managers and organizational leadership in support of the missions of the MARCORSYSCOM. I was selected as the M&S TAE based on my considerable expertise in modeling and simulation and my experience working with the Marine Corps during my time as the director of the NSWCDD Testing Experimentation Assessment Modeling and Simulation (TEAMS). I built this… Show more TAEs are selected subject matter experts in specialty areas who are responsible for providing technical oversight and advice to program managers and organizational leadership in support of the missions of the MARCORSYSCOM. I was selected as the M&S TAE based on my considerable expertise in modeling and simulation and my experience working with the Marine Corps during my time as the director of the NSWCDD Testing Experimentation Assessment Modeling and Simulation (TEAMS). I built this reputation with Marine Corps leadership through my work on several important studies for the Corps, including the Shortstop Electronic Protection System (SEPS) analysis, the Marine Advanced Units of Infantry (MAUI) study, and the Marine Expeditionary Rifle Squad (MERS) infantry modernization study. These experiences underpin my profound understanding of Expeditionary Warfare missions and systems and how systems models and simulations can be used to efficiently define mission measures of effectiveness and to assess interdependent warfighting aspects that have been traditionally assessed independently. Show less

As the Modeling and Simulation (M&S) Senior Strategist for the Missile Systems Engineering and Integration Branch (G25), I am responsible for advancing the utilization of modeling and simulation tools and methodologies to improve Naval warfighting capability. I work within the branch to maximize the use of M&S to advance missile systems integration work being performed by branch personnel. I am also responsible for working with the external M&S community to advance the state of the art and to… Show more As the Modeling and Simulation (M&S) Senior Strategist for the Missile Systems Engineering and Integration Branch (G25), I am responsible for advancing the utilization of modeling and simulation tools and methodologies to improve Naval warfighting capability. I work within the branch to maximize the use of M&S to advance missile systems integration work being performed by branch personnel. I am also responsible for working with the external M&S community to advance the state of the art and to influence M&S use across the Naval enterprise. Show less

Coordinate modeling and simulation related events and activities to increase M&S awareness and collaboration across the Dahlgren M&S community.

TEAMS is a diverse group of practicing scientists and engineers that develop innovative technologies including: prototype systems, tools to analyze and assess system performance, and integrated virtual-live systems. TEAMS enable the Navy, USMC, and Joint war-fighting community to obtain clear and tangible benefits in the execution of their imperatives. This is achieved by utilizing a multidisciplinary approach with state-of-the-art technology tools such as physics-based modeling, 3-D real-time… Show more TEAMS is a diverse group of practicing scientists and engineers that develop innovative technologies including: prototype systems, tools to analyze and assess system performance, and integrated virtual-live systems. TEAMS enable the Navy, USMC, and Joint war-fighting community to obtain clear and tangible benefits in the execution of their imperatives. This is achieved by utilizing a multidisciplinary approach with state-of-the-art technology tools such as physics-based modeling, 3-D real-time scientific visualization, advanced mathematical methods, signal processing, and distributed simulation. Show less

• Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) mentor for Virginia Demonstration Project (VDP) • Teaching robotics and engineering methodology to middle-school students

• Identify, exploit and develop computational methods required to characterize the behavior of complex systems • Develop metrics for system performance derived from microscopic behaviors • Determine stochastic behaviors with limited data and means for experimental validation

The Rappahannock Youth Symphony is the premier non-profit youth symphony organization serving the greater Fredericksburg VA region.

Dissertation: Partitioning Method for Emergent Behavior Systems Modeled by Agent-Based Simulation• Explored modeling implications of systems where emergent phenomena dominates • Defined an emergence-focused lexicon consistent with previous research, including a nomenclature describing the types of constraint in systems • Defined a taxonomic categorization of systems characterized by primary feedback paths leading to emergent phenomena • Created a specification… Show more Dissertation: Partitioning Method for Emergent Behavior Systems Modeled by Agent-Based Simulation• Explored modeling implications of systems where emergent phenomena dominates • Defined an emergence-focused lexicon consistent with previous research, including a nomenclature describing the types of constraint in systems • Defined a taxonomic categorization of systems characterized by primary feedback paths leading to emergent phenomena • Created a specification for modeling emergent behavior systems • Developed an heuristic to quantify the sophistication of entities comprising emergent behavior systems and the distinction between sophistication and complexity• Developed three simulations of systems in an agent-based framework to illustrate emergent phenomena • Defined metrics to characterize emergence associated with complex systems, namely entity complexity, paths of information feedback, and information entropy• Advisor: Dr. John Sokolowski Show less

• Explored the efficacy of eliciting combined physical and cognitive combat attributes from live test subjects during immersive computer simulated training • Assessed simulation-based immersive training equipment to provide a cost effective and data rich set of human performance statistics from live participants engaged in an almost real combat experience• Derived attributes to specify agent behaviors in agent-based models specifically used for combat performance and… Show more • Explored the efficacy of eliciting combined physical and cognitive combat attributes from live test subjects during immersive computer simulated training • Assessed simulation-based immersive training equipment to provide a cost effective and data rich set of human performance statistics from live participants engaged in an almost real combat experience• Derived attributes to specify agent behaviors in agent-based models specifically used for combat performance and effectiveness analysis Show less

• Compared relative characteristics of simulation-based combat cognitive training between desktop and wearable immersive training experiences • Involved live subject experiments • Methods included participant effectiveness assessment using value-focused analysis methods

Designing for Emergent Intelligent Behavior - Relating Agent Complexity and Population Size in Agent-based Models of Emergent Behavior Systems• Research to discover, develop, and formally define a relationship between individual agent complexity, agent population, and intentional emergent behavior in a system of interacting individual-based models• Developed axiomatic and theoretical mathematical basis for relating agent complexity and population size to intended emergent… Show more Designing for Emergent Intelligent Behavior - Relating Agent Complexity and Population Size in Agent-based Models of Emergent Behavior Systems• Research to discover, develop, and formally define a relationship between individual agent complexity, agent population, and intentional emergent behavior in a system of interacting individual-based models• Developed axiomatic and theoretical mathematical basis for relating agent complexity and population size to intended emergent behaviors• Compared Observed intelligent behavior, or OIB-models, with simulations from which intelligent behavior is an emergent quality, i.e., emergent intelligent behavior or EIB-model Show less

• Related equipment specification, human-systems requirements, and mission objectives to measures of effectiveness and measures of performance • Combined continuum modeling, value-modeling, bio-mechanical simulation, and tactical simulation to optimize squad equipment selection

• Developed MATLAB & Mathcad Short Courses• Developed teaching materials and classroom presentations• Taught Engineering methods, introductory and advanced MATLAB • Taught Graphics & Graphical User Interfaces in MATLAB • Taught engineering applications Object Oriented Design • Performed engineering and analysis consultation• Developed MATLAB solutions

• Principal investigator for multi-year R&D sensor fusion effort • Disparate sensor fusion enabling autonomous target detection and identification• Enhanced harmogram for 1D and 2D data analysis enabling automatic detection, characterization, and identification of varied platforms

• Produced an invariant fractal-based feature set for image segmentation and texture classification• Methodology applied to industrial inspection processes • U. S. Patent No. 5,859,919

• Developed specialized hardware and computing architecture to enable real-time image processing and target detection • Back-propagation Neural Network methods implemented in dedicated hardware