C A M M I

CS

CADRC
CAD Research Center

Integrated Marine Multi-Agent Command and Control System Common View of the Battlespace at any access node
An experimental US Marine Corps command and control (C2) decision-support system developed for the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory (MCWL) jointly by the CAD Research Center (Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo), the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (Cal Tech, Pasadena), the Spawar Systems Center (San Diego), the Navy Research Laboratory (NRL, Stennis Space Center), and SRI International (Menlo Park).

What is IMMACCS? The IMMACCS (Integrated Marine Multi-Agent Command and Control
System) agent-based C2 decision-support system will be tested by the SPMAGTF of the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory during Urban Warrior in 1999. Urban Warrior is the second Advanced Warfighting Exercise (AWE) of the US Marine Corps Sea Dragon program. The functional objectives of IMMACCS include: a common view of the battlespace; and, near real-time situation awareness at all access nodes. IMMACCS incorporates several kinds of computer-based agents that monitor events in the battlespace to warn the user of unfavorable conditions and arising opportunities, assist the user in analysis and planning tasks, select appropriate weapons for fire missions, and deconflict targets. The principal components of IMMACCS include: an internal Object Model of battlespace entities such as friendly and enemy assets, urban infrastructure elements, environmental phenomena, and operational events; an Agent Engine capable of reasoning about the current common view of the battlespace and several planning views, concurrently; a Shared Net communication system that provides subscriptionbased object-serving facilities; a graphical browser-type user-interface; translators to selected existing C2 software applications; and, additional communication and visualizing facilities that provide a necessary level of redundancy in case of system failure.
IMMACCS
OBJECT BROWSER

IMMACCS
AGENT ENGINE

IMMACCS
OBJECT MODEL
INFRA-STRUCTURE FEATURES (NIMA)

IMMACCS
OBJECT BROWSER

IMMACCS
AGENT ENGINE

BROWSER BROWSER BROWSER BROWSER

AGENT SESSION AGENT AGENT SESSION SESSION AGENT AGENT SESSION IMMACCS MODE AGENT SESSION AGENT SESSION AGENT SESSION AGENT SESSION AGENT
SESSION SESSION

BROWSER BROWSER

AGENT SESSION AGENT SESSION

AGENT SESSION

INFRA-STRUCTURE OBJECTS (OODBMS)

BROWSER BROWSER

BACKUP MODE
AGENT SESSION

AGENT SESSION SESSION AGENT

OBJECT INSTANCE STORE (OIS)

OBJECT OBJECTINSTANCE INSTANCE STORE STORE (OIS) (OIS)

SHARED NET
TRANSLATOR (IMMACCS)

2-D VIEWER VIEW EXTERNAL SYSTEM EXTERNAL SYSTEM 2-D VIEWER VIEW 2-D VIEWER VIEW 2-D VIEWER VIEW EXTERNAL SYSTEM EXTERNAL SYSTEM EXTERNAL SYSTEM

2-D VIEWER VIEW 2-D VIEWER VIEW 2-D VIEWER VIEW 2-D VIEWER VIEW

EXTERNAL SYSTEM

TRANSLATOR (INCON/TBIS)

INCON/TBIS

INCON/TBIS

What is new about IMMACCS? IMMACCS embodies four major design concepts: object representation; user-computer collaboration; problem solving tools rather than predetermined solutions; and, integration of planning, execution and training capabilities within one system. Fundamental to IMMACCS is the concept of high level internal representation of real world objects. For a computer system to provide meaningful decision-support facilities the system must have some understanding of the information that it is processing. For this reason IMMACCS incorporates an Object Model that describes battlespace entities such as tanks, aircraft, supplies, bridges, buildings, roads, rivers, friendly and enemy units, civilians, and so on, in terms of behavioral characteristics and relationships to each other. For example, in legacy systems the interaction of the user with whatever is currently displayed on a computer screen is limited to a small number of predefined operations because the entire picture (or overlay) displayed on the screen, regardless of complexity, is presented to the user as a single object. In IMMACCS every entity in the picture (e.g., road, tank, building, etc.), as well as intangible

entities such as weather, attack, defense, and so on, are represented as real world objects. Therefore, the user interacts with a computer display that consists of hundreds of real world entities (objects) that all have some understanding of each others nature, interests and objectives, and a great deal of understanding of their own behavior and capabilities. All IMMACCS components share this Object Model and are therefore able to communicate with each other and the users in a common language.
2 Information
4

Asset

Access Information Forecast Information

Statement

Publication

Support Information Target Information

POL

Munitions

Equipment

Definition
Acronym

Operation Information

Message

Ammunition

Guided Munitions

Unguided Munitions

Position Report Atmospheric Forecast Astronomic Forecast Climatic Forecast Shift Fire SALUTE

Report

Signature

Graphic

Lethal Ammunition

Non-Lethal Ammunition

Hand Grenade Missile Torpedo

Cartridge
Patrol BDA CFF Request

Communication
Medevac Resupply

Navigation

Weapon

Sensor

Baton Round

Pyrotechnics

Guidance System

Sight System

Annex

Appendix

Enclosure

Operation Document

Section

Tab

Lethal Weapon

Non-Lethal Weapon

Crew-Served Weapon

Personal Weapon

Jammer

Countermeasure

Operation Plan

Operation Order
Decoy Chaff

Since IMMACCS has some understanding of the content of the data streams that flow through its components, it can incorporate software modules (i.e., agents) with reasoning and similarly intelligent capabilities. These agents perform many kinds of functions such as monitoring events that occur in the battlespace, evaluating current conditions, identifying conflicts, proposing and evaluating alternative courses of action, and pursuing the interests of specific entities such as groups or individual persons and any other data objects included in the IMMACCS Object Model (IOM). The primary purpose of IMMACCS is to assist its human users by collaborating with them, rather than automating the decision making process. In this respect IMMACCS provides a partnership between complementary human and computer capabilities. While the computer excels in high speed parallel computing and data management tasks, the human user brings powerful conceptualization, abstraction, learning and intuition capabilities into the partnership. IMMACCS recognizes that naturally occurring problem situations cannot be predefined accurately. Experience has shown that predetermined problem solutions in legacy computer systems seldom apply in their totality to real world situations. Therefore, IMMACCS has been designed as a set of collaborative tools that can be applied dynamically both by users and the system itself to the current problem situation. These tools are equally applicable to planning, execution and training scenarios, and can be applied in each of these areas simultaneously. Thus users are able to continuously adapt to changing conditions in the battlespace by instituting dynamic re-planning and re-training operations.

IMMACCS Paradigm Shifts

Paradigm 1 -Information Representation: Whereas existing software systems process data largely as text
streams, numeric values, or text objects, in IMMACCS information is processed as knowledge in terms of real world objects with characteristics that describe their behavior and capabilities, and associations that describe their relationships with each other. The IMMACCS Object Model (IOM) is comprehensive in content containing friendly and enemy assets (i.e., weapons, supplies, equipment, munitions, personnel, organizations, etc.), the natural environment (atmospheric, climatic, astronomic, ocean, lakes, rivers, etc.), the artificial environment (minefields, buildings, utilities, transportation systems, etc.), events, views, and other battlespace entities. The IOM is compiled into a library that is used by each system component, and may be easily extended without compromising the integrity of individual system components. The existance of this common language allows computerbased agents to reason about real world events and present their suggestions utilizing explanation facilities.

Paradigm 2 -System Integration: Unlike past confederations of linked legacy systems with predefined data
flow paths, IMMACCS is an integrated system of components with object-based knowledge-passing facilities. Each component shares the common language represented by the IOM library and utilizes the subscription services that the Shared Net object-serving communication system makes available to its clients.
INTEGRATED IMMACCS COMPONENTS
COMPONENT (A) (with IOM library) COMPONENT (B) (with IOM library)

CONFEDERATION OF LINKED LEGACY SYSTEMS

SYSTEM (A) (meaningless text streams) SYSTEM (B) (unique text objects)

OBJECT-BASED (IOM) SHARED NET

SYSTEM (C) (unique text objects) COMPONENT (C) (with IOM library) COMPONENT (D) (with IOM library) COMPONENT (E) (with IOM library) SYSTEM (D) (real-world objects without relationships) SYSTEM (E) (meaningless text streams)

Paradigm 3 -Inter-System Communication: IMMACCS utilizes Internet-based communication among its

system components through subscription and query services. As information that is of interest to a particular Shared Net client becomes available the client is notified and can then retrieve the information from the Shared Net. To optimize performance a caching mechanism (configurable by the client) is employed. In addition to these automatic information updates, clients may seek other specific information by sending queries to the Shared Net.

IMMACCS COMMUNICATION
IMMACCS COMPONENT WITH IOM LIBRARY
ALERTS

LEGACY SYSTEM COMMUNICATION

LIMITED DATA FLOW FROM/TO SYSTEM (B) LIMITED DATA FLOW FROM/TO SYSTEM (A)

PROXY (cache)
QUERIES

DATA TRANSLATION

DATA TRANSLATION

AUTOMATIC INFORMATION 'PUSH' BASED ON SUBSCRIPTION

INTEREST-BASED SUBSCRIPTION PROFILE

LIMITED DATA FLOW FROM/TO SYSTEM (D)

DATA TRANSLATION

LEGACY SYSTEM (E)

WITH DATA PROCESSED AS (MEANINGLESS) TEXT STREAMS
DATA TRANSLATION

OBJECT-BASED (IOM) SHARED NET

LIMITED DATA FLOW FROM/TO SYSTEM (C)

Paradigm 4 -System Architecture: IMMACCS overcomes the inflexibility and fragility of stove-piped legacy systems that rely on hardwired and predefined data channels, by employing an open architecture. In this open architecture object-based application components may be freely added or deleted without jeopardizing the integrity of the entire system.
IMMACCS ARCHITECTURE
OBJECT-BASED (IOM) APPLICATION COMPONENT OBJECT-BASED (IOM) APPLICATION COMPONENT

LEGACY SYSTEMS ARCHITECTURE

SYSTEM (A) (meaningless text streams) SYSTEM (B) (unique text objects)

OBJECT-BASED (IOM) APPLICATION COMPONENT

OBJECT-BASED (IOM) APPLICATION COMPONENT

OBJECT-BASED (IOM) APPLICATION COMPONENT

SYSTEM (C) (unique text objects)

SYSTEM (D) (real-world objects without relationships)

SYSTEM (E) (meaningless text objects)

Paradigm 5 - Information Integration: In IMMACCS, the fragmented views of the battlespace that have in
the past been spread over several legacy application systems, are combined into one common view of the battlespace that may be viewed by any authorized user on one computer screen at any access point.
IMMACCS
ECOC

LEGACY SYSTEMS

COC

PDA

LAPTOP COMMON BATTLESPACE PICTURE

WORKSTATION

FRAGMENTED VIEWS OF BATTLESPACE

WORKSTATION LAPTOP

PDA

LAPTOP

WORKSTATION

Paradigm 6 - Information Understanding: Whereas in existing legacy systems views of the battlespace are
represented as bitmaps that must be filtered and interpreted by the user, in IMMACCS all views are represented as interactive real world objects with internal meaning to the system. Therefore, the IMMACCS environment can support computer-based agents capable of reasoning about events in the battlespace and providing analysis and interpretation assistance to the human decision makers.

IMMACCS
SERVICE AGENT SERVICE AGENT

LEGACY SYSTEMS

SERVICE AGENT

MENTOR AGENT
SERVICE AGENT SERVICE AGENT

MENTOR AGENT

CONTINUOUS DECISIONSUPPORT FROM IMMACCS AGENTS

UNFILTERED DATA WITHOUT DECISION-SUPPORT

Paradigm 7 - Real World Responsiveness: Within the IMMACCS decision making environment users and expert agents collaborate with computer-based decision-support tools to address unconstrained, naturally occurring, real world problem situations. This represents a major advance over legacy systems that typically provide predetermined solution sequences to a limited set of preconceived problems that may occur in a different form in the real world. In IMMACCS the emphasis is placed on providing the user with tools to interact directly with the computer to solve problems.
IMMACCS
AGENT PROBLEM SITUATION USER AGENT AGENT

LEGACY SYSTEMS
USER SOLUTION A SOLUTION E SOLUTION B SOLUTION C USER USER AGENT AGENT AGENT AGENT AGENT AGENT PROBLEM SITUATION USER USERS AND EXPERT AGENTS COLLABORATE SPONTANEOUSLY TO SOLVE CHANGING PROBLEMS USER SOLUTION B USER SOLUTION C USER SOLUTION A USER USER

AGENT

PROBLEM SITUATION

USER

USER

SOLUTION E

AGENT USER USER PROBLEM SITUATION AGENT

SOLUTION D

USER

LIMITED SET OF SOLUTIONS TO AN UNLIMITED UNIVERSE OF PROBLEM SITUATIONS

IMMACCS Agents: The IMMACCS Agent Engine automatically initiates an Agent Session whenever any user creates a new View. These Agent Sessions execute in parallel and may comprise any combination of the following kinds of agents: Monitor Agents that monitor events in the battlespace; Service Agents that have deep knowledge in narrow domains and provide expert services to other agents and users; Planning Agents that specialize in planning tasks; Mentor Agents that represent the interests of particular objects in the battlespace; and, Coordination Agents that identify collaborative conflicts. Object Command Language: IMMACCS incorporates an Object Command Language (OCL)
that allows users to store OPLAN and OPORD information in IMMACCS. This information serves as context for Agent Sessions in their respective View centered analysis, planning, servicing and coordination tasks. During mission analysis and planning stages the OCL provides powerful search and reporting capabilities in support of the Intelligence Preparation of the Battlefield (IPB) process.

IMMACCS Team Acknowledgments: The IMMACCS project is sponsored by the Marine

Corps Warfighting Laboratory, Quantico (VA) with design and development responsibilities assigned as follows: overall design concept, Agent Engine, Object Model, Object Browser, and Object Command Language (CAD Research Center, Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, CA); Shared Net and Object Instance Store (JPL, Pasadena, CA); objectified infrastructure (NRL, Stennis Space Center, MS); 2-D Viewer and Backup System (SRI International, Menlo Park, CA); legacy system Translator(s) and System Engineering Integration (Spawar Systems Center, San Diego, CA).

CAD Research Center, California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, CA 93407 Telephone: (805) 756-2841/1310 FAX: (805)756-7567 E-mail: jpohl@calpoly.edu http://www.cadrc.calpoly.edu