Army units make use of a variety of pseudo-formatted message types, particularly for tactical intelligence processing. These messages exhibit considerable variation from official formats, reflecting differing operating procedures or changing needs. Official message formats are amenable to standard computer science parsing techniques, but such parsers are rigid, and alterations are virtually impossible to accomplish in the field. Yet flexibility in parsing is very desirable in the field. Thus, a new approach to parsers for field message processing is needed which is grounded in well-established parser technology, but which supports a much greater flexibility in handling message format variations and errors. Equally importantly, it should support an ability to easily modify and regenerate parsers for given formats in the field, including creation of new formats. Applied logic systems, inc., Has previously developed message parsers which are based on established parser technology, but which were able to handle the types of variation and exceptions encountered in the field. These parsers were implemented in prolog, which already provides considerably more flexibility than lower-level languages. Applied logic systems, inc., Proposes to build on this work to produce a prototype parser system exhibiting the desired parsing functionality and efficiency coupled with a very high degree of flexibility and ease of use for field analysts. The approach will rest on the ability of prolog systems to dynamically modify, insert, or remove code while running. The core of the approach will be to supply graphically-oriented presentations of parsing rules in a system which allows the field analyst to edit and modify existing parsers, or to create totally new parsers for new formats. The prototypes to be produced will execute on sun and dec workstations, and on 386/486 pcs.
