Awais Ali, home

Method

Architecture

What a solution architect does, from discovery and constraints to handover, with a reference diagram.

An architect decides what gets built and why, writes it down, and stays with the team until it runs. On every system in my work I owned the requirements, the architecture and the technology decisions, and oversaw the engineering.

The process

  1. Discovery and constraints

    I start from what the system has to survive, not from what it should look like. On the mission platform that meant no network at all, sharing by clearance, the hardware on site and a frame rate to hold.

  2. Options and decisions

    For each hard choice I compare real options and write down the one chosen, the one it beat, why, and what it costs. Every case study here keeps those records under Key decisions.

  3. Reference architecture

    One diagram in one notation, with every component named and every flow drawn, so the whole team works from the same picture.

  4. Delivery with the team

    I assign the work, set the timelines and review the code, and on many systems I write a large share of it myself.

  5. Handover and evolution

    The architecture documentation runs from system design down to code-level standards, so the system can be run and changed after handover. For the mission platform, handover meant installing it in the sites it was built for.

Example: a reference diagram

The mission platform's architecture, in the notation every case study uses.

Air-gapped mission simulation and ORBAT platform
Air-gapped mission simulation and ORBAT platform Components by lane. 2D authoring: 2D tactical map (OpenLayers → MapLibre, MIL-STD-2525, MGRS); Timeline. 3D scene: Procedural 3D generator (glTF and 3D Tiles at runtime); 3D terrain engine (CesiumJS, deck.gl). Services: Scenario service (Node.js, event-driven). Offline data: PostgreSQL / PostGIS; Tiles, terrain, search, routing. Flows: 2D tactical map to Procedural 3D generator (drawings); Procedural 3D generator to 3D terrain engine (3D features); Timeline to 3D terrain engine (entities); 2D tactical map to Scenario service (layers); Scenario service to PostgreSQL / PostGIS; Tiles, terrain, search, routing to 3D terrain engine; Tiles, terrain, search, routing to 2D tactical map. 2D authoring 3D scene Services Offline data 2D tactical map OpenLayers → MapLibre, MIL-STD-2525, MGRS Timeline Procedural 3D generator glTF and 3D Tiles at runtime 3D terrain engine CesiumJS, deck.gl Scenario service Node.js, event-driven PostgreSQL / PostGIS Tiles, terrain, search, routing drawings 3D features entities layers Air-gapped mission simulation and ORBAT platform Components by lane. 2D authoring: 2D tactical map (OpenLayers → MapLibre, MIL-STD-2525, MGRS); Timeline. 3D scene: Procedural 3D generator (glTF and 3D Tiles at runtime); 3D terrain engine (CesiumJS, deck.gl). Services: Scenario service (Node.js, event-driven). Offline data: PostgreSQL / PostGIS; Tiles, terrain, search, routing. Flows: 2D tactical map to Procedural 3D generator (drawings); Procedural 3D generator to 3D terrain engine (3D features); Timeline to 3D terrain engine (entities); 2D tactical map to Scenario service (layers); Scenario service to PostgreSQL / PostGIS; Tiles, terrain, search, routing to 3D terrain engine; Tiles, terrain, search, routing to 2D tactical map. 2D authoring 3D scene Services Offline data 2D tactical map OpenLayers → MapLibre, MIL-STD-2525, MGRS Timeline Procedural 3D generator glTF and 3D Tiles at runtime 3D terrain engine CesiumJS, deck.gl Scenario service Node.js, event-driven PostgreSQL / PostGIS Tiles, terrain, search, routing drawings 3D features entities layers
Components and flows

Components

2D authoring
2D tactical map (OpenLayers → MapLibre, MIL-STD-2525, MGRS)
Timeline
3D scene
Procedural 3D generator (glTF and 3D Tiles at runtime)
3D terrain engine (CesiumJS, deck.gl)
Services
Scenario service (Node.js, event-driven)
Offline data
PostgreSQL / PostGIS
Tiles, terrain, search, routing

Flows

  • 2D tactical map to Procedural 3D generator (drawings)
  • Procedural 3D generator to 3D terrain engine (3D features)
  • Timeline to 3D terrain engine (entities)
  • 2D tactical map to Scenario service (layers)
  • Scenario service to PostgreSQL / PostGIS
  • Tiles, terrain, search, routing to 3D terrain engine
  • Tiles, terrain, search, routing to 2D tactical map