SBIR-STTR Award

The User-Centered Communications Manager (UCCM) maintains a queue of proposed transmissions that ensures the communication channel is filled with the most valuable data at any instant. A priority based on inherent value, timeliness, urgency, and novelty is computed for each item, and may be updated before it is selected for transmission. Prioritization (which may delay or drop some transmissions), along with choices between alternative modes and formats for the information, reduce bandwidth needs. Pilots will be able to fine-tune priorities by stating their preferences as policies during mission planning. A Plan Execution Monitor will identify unexpected problems and opportunities and add them as prioritized transmissions in the queue. Prioritization policies are set by a product-line approach, where general models are created by a Navy maintenance organization and fine-tuned by mission planning in the Wing. No new work flow or training is required for pilots to use the system during a mission. This work will be based on significant ontology and code resources Teknowledge has already created. Both UCCM and Plan Execution Monitor will be designed to be broadly applicable for other Navy communications situations.

Keywords:
Information Prioritization, Distributed Information Logistics, Plan Execution Support, Intelligent Agent, Infoglut, Virt

The User-Centered Communications Manager (UCCM) is an intelligent agent that manages the communication flow between a vehicle and its ground operators. This work is tailored for the needs of the BAMS UAS, and adapts to current bandwidth, mission objectives, and vehicle situation. A UCCM on the BAMS will manage transmissions from the vehicle. A UCCM on the ground will manage information sent to the vehicle. UCCM serves as a proxy between multiple senders and the radio subsystem. The radio obtains its next transmission from a sorted priority queue of transmission requests. Each request is prioritized based on the transmission’s metadata, sensed vehicle operating conditions, and actual mission status. A small rule base governs when to reprioritize the queue and/or delete any of the unsent requests. UCCM is implemented within the Teknowledge ActionWeb sense-and-respond framework. ActionWeb provides integration APIs for monitoring sensors and data feeds, maintains a world model based on these events, and provides rule-based logic for deciding on appropriate action.

Keywords:
Communications Management, Adaptive Communications, Intelligent Agent, Virt, Bams, Information Logistics