An SOA Compliant Software Service to Allocate Targets to Assets with Quality of Service Guarantees

This project will develop a near real-time dynamic planning system (Asset Employment System, AES) that accepts requests for services from soldiers, examines the current situation and status of assets to assign new assets or re-assign existing assets to provide the services requested. The AES maintains a specified minimum quality of service or maximum time to service for its users while meeting mission constraint envelopes. The supported services will include providing surveillance of areas to detect targets, monitoring targets with appropriate sensors, and engaging targets with appropriate weapons. Quality of service refers to assigning appropriate weapons to targets and applying appropriate sensors and techniques to surveillance tasks. Maintaining a maximum time to service requires the system keep appropriate assets available and near situations where engagements are likely, based on soldiers requesting such coverage. An auction-based approach to task allocation avoids hierarchical planning limitations, supports local planning and re-planning when actions are independent, and efficiently assigns multi-platform de-conflicted actions using multi-dimensional cost functions when actions require coordination. It provides real-time adjustment to changes in assets, capabilities, and the area of operations. Further, all reasoning is based on asset models, providing a general-purpose solution that easily supports new assets.