Intelligent, Distributed, Cooperative AFSCN Mission Planning and Scheduling

ABSTRACT:The ultimate goal of this effort is to develop a distributed, intelligent, cooperative AFSCN mission planning and scheduling system (DICAMPSS) to implement an improved scheduling process and greater sharing and availability of information and knowledge.Such a distributed intelligent communications resource scheduling capability will provide better quality schedules; faster scheduling and quicker response to real-time changes and events; handle larger, more complex sets of requests; and handle additional AFSCN system capabilities.Important components of automating the entire AFSCN scheduling/deconfliction process are automatic abnormal RTS signal detection/prediction, far-future and contingency scheduling/planning, and intelligent, intuitive user interfaces for the SOCs, RTSs, 22 SOPS, and the JSpOC and 22 SOPS crew commanders.The goals of the proposed research are to develop the full-scale DICAMPSS and show superior performance and capabilities on AFSCN scheduling, deconfliction, and negotiation both during the deconfliction period and in real-time; improve and enhance ABNet to increase its level of automation, greatly decrease the amount of manpower required, incorporate additional inputs, and provide reasoning over its outputs for intuitive, concise display to end-users; allow appropriate far-future and contingency planning; provide intelligent, user-friendly interfaces for a diversity of personnel; and integrate with existing required software and prepare to integrate with JMS.BENEFIT:The most direct target for the results of this effort is the Air Force Satellite Control Network (AFSCN).By both demonstrating significantly improved performance during Phase II and ensuring that the ultimate results can be integrated into Air Force operations, the Air Force will have a strong incentive to operationalize the Phase II development of the proposed DICAMPSS.Additionally NASA has the space communications networks, which can utilize this software (Deep Space Network (DSN), Space Network (SN), and Ground Network (GN)).We are already marketing Aurora, our general intelligent planning and scheduling framework, and customizing it for a variety of domains.The additional capabilities developed for distributed, cooperative communication scheduling can be synergistically marketed to the same clients.We anticipate that this effort will result in additional scheduling algorithms that we will be able to incorporate into our existing scheduling products, thus increasing the benefits they provide and their value.