Software Engineering Commons^™

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 …