Software Engineering Commons^™

The Meaning Of An Information-Centric Computer Environment, Jens G. Pohl

Collaborative Agent Design (CAD) Research Center

It is often lamented that we human beings are suffering from an information overload. This is a myth, as shown in Fig.1 there is no information overload. Instead we are suffering from a data overload. The confusion between data and information is not readily apparent and requires further explanation. Unorganized data are voluminous but of very little value. Over the past 15 years, industry and commerce have made significant efforts to rearrange this unorganized data into purposeful data, utilizing various kinds of database management systems. However, even in this organized form, we are still dealing with data and not information.

Perspective Filters As A Means For Interoperability Among Information-Centric Decision-Support Systems, Kym J. Pohl, Jens G. Pohl

Collaborative Agent Design (CAD) Research Center

No abstract provided.

Information-Centric Decision-Support Systems: A Blueprint For ‘Interoperability’, Jens G. Pohl

Collaborative Agent Design (CAD) Research Center

For the past 20 years the US military services have suffered under the limitations of stove-piped computer software applications that function as discrete entities within a fragmented data-processing environment. Lack of interoperability has been identified by numerous think tanks, advisory boards, and studies, as the primary information systems problem (e.g., Army Science Board 2000, Air Force SAB 2000 Command and Control Study, and NSB Network-Centric Naval Forces 2000). Yet, despite this level of attention, all attempts to achieve interoperability within the current data-centric information systems environment have proven to be expensive, unreliable, and generally unsuccessful.

Proceedings Of The 2001 Onr Decision-Support Workshop Series: Continuing The Revolution In Military Affairs, Collaborative Agent Design Research Center

Collaborative Agent Design (CAD) Research Center

In August of 1998 the Collaborative Agent Design Research Center (CADRC) of the California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly), approached the Office of Naval Research (ONR) with the proposal for an annual workshop focusing on emerging concepts in decision-support systems for military applications. The proposal was considered timely by the ONR Logistics Program Office for at least two reasons. First, rapid advances in information systems technology over the past decade had produced distributed, collaborative computer-assistance capabilities with profound potential for providing meaningful support to military decision makers. Indeed, some systems based on these new capabilities such …

Immaccs: A Multi-Agent Decision-Support System, Jens G. Pohl, Mark Porczak, Kym Jason Pohl, Russell Leighton, Hisham Assal, Alan Davis, Lakshmi Vempati, Anthony Wood

Collaborative Agent Design (CAD) Research Center

This report describes work performed by the Collaborative Agent Design Research Center for the US Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory (MCWL), on the IMMACCS experimental decision-support system. IMMACCS (Integrated Marine Multi-Agent Command and Control System) incorporates three fundamental concepts that distinguish it from existing (i.e., legacy) command and control applications. First, it is a collaborative system in which computer-based agents assist human operators by monitoring, analyzing, and reasoning about events in near real-time. Second, IMMACCS includes an ontological model of the battlespace that represents the behavioral characteristics and relationships among real world entities such as friendly and enemy assets, infrastructure objects …

Icdm: An Architecture And Toolkit In Support Of Agent-Based, Decision-Support Applications, Kym J. Pohl, Jens G. Pohl

Collaborative Agent Design (CAD) Research Center

Agent-based, decision-support systems provide human decision-makers with a means of solving complex problems through collaboration with heterogeneous collections of both human and computer-based expert agents. Over the past decade the Collaborative Agent Design (CAD) Research Center has developed several proof-of-concept and production-oriented agent-based, decision-support systems for both commercial and Department of Defense applications. These applications range in domain from engineering design to tactical command and control. While diverse in application, each of these systems is predicated on the same set of fundamental principles derived from years of experience in this area. Primary among these principles are the notions of high-level …

Transition From Data To Information, Jens G. Pohl

Collaborative Agent Design (CAD) Research Center

It is often lamented that we human beings are suffering from an information overload. This is a myth; as shown in Fig.1, there is no information overload. Instead, we are suffering from a data overload. The confusion between data and information is not readily apparent and requires further explanation. Unorganized data are voluminous but of very little value. Over the past 15 years, industry and commerce have made significant efforts to rearrange this unorganized data into purposeful data, utilizing various kinds of database management systems. However, even in this organized form, we are still dealing with data and not …

Seaway: A Multi-Agent Decision-Support System For Naval Expeditionary Logistic Operations, Anthony Wood, Kym Jason Pohl, Justin Crawford, Mark Lai, John Fanshier, Ken Cudworth, Tom Tate, Hisham Assal, Shawn Pan, Jens G. Pohl

Collaborative Agent Design (CAD) Research Center

This report describes work performed by CDM Technologies Inc. in conjunction with the Collaborative Agent Design (CAD) Research Center of California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly), San Luis Obispo, for the Office of Naval Research (ONR), on the SEAWAY experimental system for planning, gaming and executing maritime logistic operations from a sea base. SEAWAY incorporates three fundamental concepts that distinguish it from existing (i.e., legacy) command and control applications. First, it is a collaborative system in which computer-based agents assist human operators by monitoring, analyzing and reasoning about events in near real-time. Second, SEAWAY includes an ontological model of the …

Immaccs: An Experimental Multi-Agent C2 System, Jens G. Pohl, Anthony A. Wood, Kym Jason Pohl

Collaborative Agent Design (CAD) Research Center

The Integrated Marine Multi-Agent Command and Control System (IMMACCS) is a multi-agent, distributed software system, designed to provide a Common Tactical Picture (CTP) 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 …

An Inference Engine-Based Subscription Service, Kym J. Pohl, Jens G. Pohl

Collaborative Agent Design (CAD) Research Center

A Distributed Network Architecture (DNA) forms the basis of many decision-support systems available today. Such architecture excels at providing an application environment rich in transparency, performance, and expandability (Gray and Lievano 1997). However, efforts at the Collaborative Agent Design (CAD) Research Center in San Luis Obispo, California have found that for this architecture to be successfully applied to agent-based, decision-support systems two additional ingredients must be present, namely a query service and a subscription service. These two mechanisms support the extensive collaboration inherent in agent-based, decision-support systems. Although primarily utilized as a means of agent-to-agent interaction these two services can …

Adapting To The Information Age, Jens G. Pohl

Collaborative Agent Design (CAD) Research Center

This paper draws attention to the profound changes that human civilization is experiencing as it moves from an industrial environment into an information environment, in which unprecedented emphasis is placed on the knowledge and capabilities of the individual. A clear distinction is drawn between data and information in relationship to computer-based facilities, and the transition of data-processing to the higher levels of information and knowledge representation in quasi intelligent decision-support systems. It is argued that the cultivation of its human capital becomes a foundational requirement for the success of a knowledge-based organization. In such an organization traditional practices of hierarchical, …

Proceedings Of The 2000 Onr Decision-Support Workshop Series: The Human-Computer Partnership In Decision-Support, Collaborative Agent Design Research Center

Collaborative Agent Design (CAD) Research Center

The Decision Support Workshop of May 2-4, 2000 held in San Luis Obispo, Cal., was the second in a series that was started one year earlier as a joint project of the Office of Naval Research and the Collaborative Agent Design Research Center of Cal Poly.

The goal of this series of Workshops is to provide a forum where connections can be established on one hand between developers and proponents of decision support tools, with potential users such as managers of large, complex organizations/systems on the other. Clearly, the military belong to this class of users and it is therefore …

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

Collaborative Decision Support Systems For Facility Management, Arthur J. Chapman, Jens G. Pohl

Collaborative Agent Design (CAD) Research Center

Agent-based collaborative decision support is a methodology of utilizing domain specific intelligent systems, interacting in a common environment, to partner with one or more human decision makers to reach a consensus solution to a complex problem. An example is the recently developed Collaborative Infrastructure Assessment Tool (CIAT) that provides a collaborative planning facility management tool in support of military pier and port management. This methodology is applicable to many similar dynamic facility management problems where the complexity of issues and the number of decision makers result in the need for domain specific agents, a common view of the data, and …

The Future Of Computing: Cyberspace, Jens G. Pohl

Collaborative Agent Design (CAD) Research Center

This paper traces trends in the technological advances of computer and communication systems and examines the promises of the Information Society: global information sharing; and, intelligent decision-support. The technological developments that will lead to the realization of Cyberspace, an information rich environment in which virtual reality capabilities couple directly to the human senses, is explored in terms of five essential components: information processing requirements; communication networks; computing devices (i.e., platforms); hardware and software user-interfaces; and, the meaningful representation of information.

Attention is drawn to the critical role played by information representation in a Cyberspace environment. The author argues …

The Round Table Model: A Web-Oriented, Agent-Based Approach To Decision-Support Applications, Kym J. Pohl, Jens G. Pohl

Collaborative Agent Design (CAD) Research Center

Not unlike King Arthur relying on the infamous Round Table as the setting for consultation with his most trusted experts, agent-based, decision-support systems provide human decision makers with a means of solving complex problems through collaboration with collections of both human and computer-based expert agents. The Round Table Framework provides a formalized architecture together with a set of development and execution tools which can be utilized to design, develop, and execute agent-based, decision-support applications. Based on a three-tier architecture, Round Table incorporates forefront technologies including distributed-object servers, inference engines, and web-based presentation to provide a framework for collaborative, agent-based decision …

Human-Computer Partnership In Decision-Support Systems: Some Design Guidelines, Jens G. Pohl

Collaborative Agent Design (CAD) Research Center

The design of useful human-computer collaborative decision-support systems requires some understanding of the behavioral and organizational characteristics of human problem solving practices. This paper identifies the principal areas in which computer-based decision making assistance is particularly attractive and critically examines several human problem solving traits that may not be appropriate for direct emulation in the computer-assisted environment. In particular, the author examines the manner in which emotions and hierarchical leadership structures could unnecessarily inhibit the realization of the full potential of a human-computer partnership. Finally, a number of guiding principles are proposed for the design of computer-based decision-support systems.

Koala: An Object-Agent Design System, Kym J. Pohl, Jens G. Pohl

Collaborative Agent Design (CAD) Research Center

This paper describes KOALA, a design system with primary focus on the predesign stage of architectural design. KOALA combines object-agent technology with high level representation to form a partnership between the human designer and the computer-based design environment. A diverse taxonomy of agents including Domain agents. Space agents, and Monitor agents work in a collaborative fashion to provide the human designer with expert evaluation and assistance in developing a design solution. Spaces, in their roles as agents attempt to formulate various design solutions based on individual perspectives through negotiation with other agents. The result is a highly interactive design environment …

Icdm: Integrated Cooperative Decision Making - In Practice, Leonard Myers, Jens G. Pohl

Collaborative Agent Design (CAD) Research Center

Multi-agent systems provide an attractive architecture for the implementation of complex systems. Much of the research is focussed on complete automation of the decision making process as a means of duplicating human abilities for working with new problems and environments. There as also a need for systems that employ the human as an agent and rely on human abilities for common sense and deep thought. The CAD Research Center at Cal Poly and CDM Technologies have significant experience in building systems of the latter type that assist human users in solving complex problems in planning, design and economics. This experience …

The Construction Of Two Prototype Multi-Storey Air-Supported Buildings, Jens G. Pohl, James Montero

Collaborative Agent Design (CAD) Research Center

To treat a multi-storey building as a large, inflatable container forces the architect to consider design and construction criteria foreign to the building industry at large. While satisfactory progress has been made in the development of theoretical solutions for problems dealing with the structural and planning implications of a hyperbaric building environment, the time has come to consider practical issues.

This paper discusses the design, construction and operation of two prototype, multi-storey, air-supported buildings. The first building was completed in November, 1972 at the School of Building, University of New South Wales, Australia, and the second building was completed in …