Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Immaccs: A Military Decision-Support System, Jens G. Pohl, Anthony A. Wood, Kym Jason Pohl, Arthur J. Chapman

Collaborative Agent Design (CAD) Research Center

The Integrated Marine Multi-Agent Command and Control System (IMMACCS) is a multi-agent, distributed system, designed to provide a ‘common tactical picture’ with integrated and meaningful decision-support facilities to authorized operators at any access node. IMMACCS has been implemented as a three-tier architecture that distinguishes between information, logic and presentation. It utilizes an object-serving communication facility with subscription and multi-casting capabilities that is based on the Common Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA). With an emphasis on application, IMMACCS was designed and implemented in concert with its military users as an integral component of experiments conceived by the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory …

Mental Models For Introductory Csc Concepts, Jennifer J. Wheeler, Erika Rogers

Computer Science and Software Engineering

If is hypothesized that the development of mental models for a concept can lead to improved learning. The purpose of this paper is to identify, quantify, and analyze the mental models of students beginning to program in the UNIX environment. By focusing on 4 basic concept, this study abstracts current mental models from students and hypothesizes ways of improving these models. Ultimately, the results of the study will be incorporated into the design and implementation of a multimedia tutor. This tutor will attempt to teach people how to develop mental models in order to improve their learning.

Teaching Object Technology In Industry Short Courses, David S. Janzen

Computer Science and Software Engineering

No abstract provided.

Temporal Probabilistic Logic Programs, Alex Dekhtyar, Michael I. Dekhtyar, V. S. Subrahmanian

Computer Science and Software Engineering

There are many applications where the precise time at which an event will occur (or has occurred) is uncertain. Temporal probabilistic logic programs (TPLPs) allow a programmer to express knowledge about such events. In this paper, we develop a model theory, fixpoint theory, and proof theory for TPLPs, and show that the fixpoint theory may be used to enumerate consequences of a TPLP in a sound and complete manner. Likewise the proof theory provides a sound and complete inference system. Last, but not least, we provide complexity results for TPLPs, showing in particular, that reasonable classes of TPLPs have polynomial …

Some Notions Of Complex Adaptive Systems And Their Relationship To Our World, Jens G. Pohl

Collaborative Agent Design (CAD) Research Center

This paper assumes that the world we live in consists of many interwoven complex adaptive systems. In the literature such systems are characterized as comprising many moving parts and processes that interact significantly in a mostly non-linear manner. It is argued that the forces that act on such complex systems are not additive, and that their impact occurs along non-linear interactions within the system. In particular, many of these systems are adaptive in that they change their behavior (through their interactions) over time, so that if they are subjected to a similar force or event a second time they …

Re-Engineering A Software Development Organization As A Complex Adaptive System, Steven J. Gollery, Jens G. Pohl

Collaborative Agent Design (CAD) Research Center

This paper proposes that it is possible and desirable to restructure a software development organization as a complex adaptive system. Such a structure would increase the possibility that the organization would be able to survive and prosper in a rapidly-changing market place by shortening response time, increasing flexibility in the face of new and unexpected circumstances, and allowing the organization to learn quickly from its experiences.

The paper shows how a common information repository can be used to provide decision support to developers and managers, and discusses the relationship between decision support systems and complex adaptive systems.

The Second Generation Integrated Collaborative Decision Making (Icdm) Model: A Three-Tier Approach To Agent-Based, Decision-Support Systems, Kym J. Pohl, Jens G. Pohl

Collaborative Agent Design (CAD) Research Center

Ten years ago the CAD Research Center at California Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo, California identified a standard framework for agent-based, decision support systems. Employing inter-process and inference engine technologies of the time, the CAD Research Center termed this ‘blueprint’ the Integrated Collaborative Decision-Making (ICDM) framework. Over the past twelve years ICDM has been successfully used as a foundation in several systems. These systems focus on a wide range of domains of application including architectural design and ship cargo stowage. Success of the ICDM framework in conjunction with the availability of newer technologies has prompted an evolutionary leap in …

Neural Networks And Structured Knowledge: Knowledge Representation And Reasoning, Franz J. Kurfess

Computer Science and Software Engineering

This collection of articles is the first of two parts of a special issue on "Neural Networks and Structured Knowledge." The contributions to the first part shed some light on the issues of knowledge representation and reasoning with neural networks. Their scope ranges from formal models for mapping discrete structures like graphs or logical formulae onto different types of neural networks, to the construction of practical systems for various types of reasoning. In the second part to follow, the emphasis will be on the extraction of knowledge from neural networks, and on applications of neural networks and structured knowledge to …

Ismis: A Military Transportation Decision-Support Framework, Stephen Goodman, Jens G. Pohl

Collaborative Agent Design (CAD) Research Center

This paper discusses the challenges that the Information Revolution poses to transportation planning, execution and training in the US military services. Attention is drawn to the opportunities provided by global connectivity and the manner in which these opportunities can be applied to advantage in an integrated, collaborative, decision-support framework. The characteristics of military deployment operations are discussed in respect to system requirements such as parallel activities, internal representation of information (rather than data), intelligent assistance, and the integration of planning, execution and training functions.

The Integrated Strategic Mobility Interface System (ISMIS) is described as a framework that is designed to …

Collaborative Decision-Support And The Human-Machine Relationship, Jens G. Pohl

Collaborative Agent Design (CAD) Research Center

Human beings are inquisitive creatures who seek explanations for all that they observe and experience in their living environment. While this quest for understanding is central to our success in adapting to a changing environment, it is also a major cause of our willingness to accept partial understandings and superficial explanations when the degree of complexity of the problem situation confounds our current cognitive capabilities. In other words, a superficial or partial explanation is considered better than no explanation at all. As flawed as this approach may be, it has helped us to solve difficult problems in stages. By first …

Proceedings Of The 1999 Onr Decision-Support Workshop Series: A Decision-Making Tools Workshop, Collaborative Agent Design Research Center

Collaborative Agent Design (CAD) Research Center

The rationale of the Workshop rests on some very simple observations. It is well known that every situation encountered by individuals and organizations demands an appropriate response. The choice of such a response from among a multitude of options is the decision-making process. Simple situations that give rise to a small number of options allow the decision maker to decide on a course of action without great effort. This state of affairs changes dramatically when the situations are complex and involve a large number of factors. In this case, an extensive field of options is engendered that makes it impossible …

Monitoring Distributed Processes With Intelligent Agents, Franz J. Kurfess, Klaus Holthaus, Dhaval P. Shah, Felip Miralles

Computer Science and Software Engineering

This paper describes a platform-independent application for the monitoring of distributed applications. The tool is intended for system administrators to properly distribute the components of a distributed application onto particular machines. An essential part of this tool is based on intelligent mobile agent technology used to access the target systems. Although a full implementation turned out to be infeasible due to security considerations, the implementation and experimentation indicate the suitability of intelligent agents technology for such purposes.

Green Manufacturing Of Ammunition Through Knowledge Management With Distributed Access, Ali H. Dogru, Murat M. Tanik, Franz J. Kurfess, Marcus Healey, Leon Jololian

Computer Science and Software Engineering

This paper describes a distributed software requirements gathering methodology dealing with knowledge management for environmentally safer production and lifecycle aspects of tank ammunition. A requirements elicitation methodology is adapted and implemented as a distributed access tool on the Internet. This tool is used for gathering the requirements related information for a specific ammunition production process. During product development, requirements negotiation is the process where the customer needs are identified. This process is regarded as one of the most important parts of building a system because during this stage it is decided precisely what will be built. The concept has been …