The effect of dynamic networks on distributed problem-solving was examined using a multi-agent si... more The effect of dynamic networks on distributed problem-solving was examined using a multi-agent simulation environment. Synthetic agents were tasked with the problem of finding optimal solutions to a specific design problem, and they were allowed to communicate the results of their search efforts to other agents via a dynamically-evolving communication network structure. The growth of the network was determined by two parameters. One parameter determined the rate at which the network structure emerged, while the second ...
The effective decision making relies on correlating, analyzing, and understanding the context of ... more The effective decision making relies on correlating, analyzing, and understanding the context of the large amounts of data that is being collected in a sensor network (or any other real-time system). In order to understand the context, data needs to be enriched through analysis and categorization based on their relationships to each other. This demo will illustrate a system that enables automated semantic enrichment of disparate data sources in support of effective decision making in coalition operating environments.
Many real-world problems require the cooperative effort of multiple individuals, and the nature o... more Many real-world problems require the cooperative effort of multiple individuals, and the nature of the communication that takes place between such individuals is often key to understanding the collective successes (and failures) of such groups. A better understanding of how network structures affect the performance of collective problem-solving can lead to valuable insights as to how a network should be engineered to address a particular type of problem. A number of previous studies have investigated this issue, but ...
ABSTRACT Decision makers (humans or software agents alike) are increasingly faced with the challe... more ABSTRACT Decision makers (humans or software agents alike) are increasingly faced with the challenge of examining large volumes of information originating from heterogeneous sources requiring them to ascertain trust in various pieces of information. While several authors have explored various trust computation models on static data and certain rules, past work has typically assumed: (i) a statistically significant number of ratings are available prior to trust assessment, and (ii) assessed trust values tend to vary slowly over time. In contrast, military settings warrant: (i) trust assessment over partial, uncertain and streaming (live and real-time) information from heterogeneous sources, (ii) coping up with the dynamic and evolving nature of the ground truth, and (iii) and more importantly, rules used for making inferences may by themselves be uncertain. Within the context of executing the OODA loop for decision making our research objective is to develop a family of trust operators for dynamic information flows for assessing trust over data-in-motion rather than a large corpus of static data. In this paper, we show how to exploit the computational toolset of subjective logic to build a framework for trust assessment in this case. Furthermore, we describe an implementation of the framework (using Information Fabric [6] and Controlled English Fact Store[5]) and present an experimental evaluation that quantifies the efficacy with respect to accuracy and overhead of the proposed framework.
ABSTRACT A number of languages have been developed to concisely express policy, but these are oft... more ABSTRACT A number of languages have been developed to concisely express policy, but these are often difficult for a non-technical user to understand. We are investigating the use of ITA Controlled English (CE) to express policies that are both human-readable and machine parsable. We present a simple model for writing authorization and obligation policies in CE. We provide a full example of the policies and rules for a simple messaging scenario including the CE models, facts and rules. The language is compared to the Common Information Model Simple Policy Language (SPL) and limitations of using CE for policy expression are explored.
Whereas the traditional view in cognitive science has been to view mind and cognition as somethin... more Whereas the traditional view in cognitive science has been to view mind and cognition as something that is the result of essentially inner, neural processes, the extended cognition perspective claims that at least some human mental states and processes stem from complex webs of causal influence involving extra-neural resources, most notably the resources of our social and technological environments. In
Ground/Air Multisensor Interoperability, Integration, and Networking for Persistent ISR IV, 2013
ABSTRACT In a coalition context, data fusion involves combining of soft (e.g., field reports, int... more ABSTRACT In a coalition context, data fusion involves combining of soft (e.g., field reports, intelligence reports) and hard (e.g., acoustic, imagery) sensory data such that the resulting output is better than what it would have been if the data are taken individually. However, due to the lack of explicit semantics attached with such data, it is difficult to automatically disseminate and put the right contextual data in the hands of the decision makers. In order to understand the data, explicit meaning needs to be added by means of categorizing and/or classifying the data in relationship to each other from base reference sources. In this paper, we present a semantic framework that provides automated mechanisms to expose real-time raw data effectively by presenting appropriate information needed for a given situation so that an informed decision could be made effectively. The system utilizes controlled natural language capabilities provided by the ITA (International Technology Alliance) Controlled English (CE) toolkit to provide a human-friendly semantic representation of messages so that the messages can be directly processed in human/machine hybrid environments. The Real-time Semantic Enrichment (RTSE) service adds relevant contextual information to raw data streams from domain knowledge bases using declarative rules. The rules define how the added semantics and context information are derived and stored in a semantic knowledge base. The software framework exposes contextual information from a variety of hard and soft data sources in a fast, reliable manner so that an informed decision can be made using semantic queries in intelligent software systems.
Query formulation is a key aspect of information retrieval, contributing to both the efficiency a... more Query formulation is a key aspect of information retrieval, contributing to both the efficiency and usability of many semantic applications. A number of query languages, such as SPARQL, have been developed for the Semantic Web; however, there is a notable absence of tools to support end users with respect to the creation and editing of semantic queries. In this paper
Many real-world problems require the cooperative effort of multiple individuals, and the nature o... more Many real-world problems require the cooperative effort of multiple individuals, and the nature of the communication that takes place between such individuals is often key to understanding the collective successes (and failures) of such groups. A better understanding of how network structures affect the performance of collective problem-solving can lead to valuable insights as to how a network should be engineered to address a particular type of problem. A number of previous studies have investigated this issue, but ...
In thinking about the transformative potential of network technologies with respect to human cogn... more In thinking about the transformative potential of network technologies with respect to human cognition, it is common to see network resources as playing a largely assistive or augmentative role. In this paper we propose a somewhat more radical vision. We suggest that the informational and technological elements of a network system can, at times, constitute part of the material supervenience base for a human agent's mental states and processes. This thesis (called the thesis of network-enabled cognition) draws its ...
For the most part, studies in the network science literature tend to focus on networks whose func... more For the most part, studies in the network science literature tend to focus on networks whose functional connectivity is largely invariant with respect to some episode of collective information processing. In the real world, however, networks with highly dynamic functional topologies tend to be the norm. In order to improve our understanding of the effect of dynamic networks on collective cognitive processing, we explored the problem-solving abilities of synthetic agents in dynamic networks, where the links between agents were ...
The effect of dynamic networks on distributed problem-solving was examined using a multi-agent si... more The effect of dynamic networks on distributed problem-solving was examined using a multi-agent simulation environment. Synthetic agents were tasked with the problem of finding optimal solutions to a specific design problem, and they were allowed to communicate the results of their search efforts to other agents via a dynamically-evolving communication network structure. The growth of the network was determined by two parameters. One parameter determined the rate at which the network structure emerged, while the second ...
Network-Enabled Cognition: The Contribution of Social and Technological Networks to Human Cognition, Jul 10, 2010
We tend to think of cognition as something that takes place inside the heads of individual human ... more We tend to think of cognition as something that takes place inside the heads of individual human agents; however, it is clear that many of our cognitive accomplishments depend just as much on our ability to exploit the elements of our social and technological environments as they do on the information processing dynamics of the biological brain. Our social networks constitute a particularly potent source of bio-external scaffolding: one that shapes, constrains and influences the profile of much of our daily cognitive activity. However, the ...
... References Clark, A. (2008) Supersizing the Mind: Embodiment, Action, and Cognitive Extension... more ... References Clark, A. (2008) Supersizing the Mind: Embodiment, Action, and Cognitive Extension Oxford University Press, USA. Clark, A. (in press) Memento's revenge: the extended mind, extended. In R. Menary (Ed.), The Extended Mind. Ashgate Publishers, Aldershot. ...
The effect of dynamic networks on distributed problem-solving was examined using a multi-agent si... more The effect of dynamic networks on distributed problem-solving was examined using a multi-agent simulation environment. Synthetic agents were tasked with the problem of finding optimal solutions to a specific design problem, and they were allowed to communicate the results of their search efforts to other agents via a dynamically-evolving communication network structure. The growth of the network was determined by two parameters. One parameter determined the rate at which the network structure emerged, while the second ...
The effective decision making relies on correlating, analyzing, and understanding the context of ... more The effective decision making relies on correlating, analyzing, and understanding the context of the large amounts of data that is being collected in a sensor network (or any other real-time system). In order to understand the context, data needs to be enriched through analysis and categorization based on their relationships to each other. This demo will illustrate a system that enables automated semantic enrichment of disparate data sources in support of effective decision making in coalition operating environments.
Many real-world problems require the cooperative effort of multiple individuals, and the nature o... more Many real-world problems require the cooperative effort of multiple individuals, and the nature of the communication that takes place between such individuals is often key to understanding the collective successes (and failures) of such groups. A better understanding of how network structures affect the performance of collective problem-solving can lead to valuable insights as to how a network should be engineered to address a particular type of problem. A number of previous studies have investigated this issue, but ...
ABSTRACT Decision makers (humans or software agents alike) are increasingly faced with the challe... more ABSTRACT Decision makers (humans or software agents alike) are increasingly faced with the challenge of examining large volumes of information originating from heterogeneous sources requiring them to ascertain trust in various pieces of information. While several authors have explored various trust computation models on static data and certain rules, past work has typically assumed: (i) a statistically significant number of ratings are available prior to trust assessment, and (ii) assessed trust values tend to vary slowly over time. In contrast, military settings warrant: (i) trust assessment over partial, uncertain and streaming (live and real-time) information from heterogeneous sources, (ii) coping up with the dynamic and evolving nature of the ground truth, and (iii) and more importantly, rules used for making inferences may by themselves be uncertain. Within the context of executing the OODA loop for decision making our research objective is to develop a family of trust operators for dynamic information flows for assessing trust over data-in-motion rather than a large corpus of static data. In this paper, we show how to exploit the computational toolset of subjective logic to build a framework for trust assessment in this case. Furthermore, we describe an implementation of the framework (using Information Fabric [6] and Controlled English Fact Store[5]) and present an experimental evaluation that quantifies the efficacy with respect to accuracy and overhead of the proposed framework.
ABSTRACT A number of languages have been developed to concisely express policy, but these are oft... more ABSTRACT A number of languages have been developed to concisely express policy, but these are often difficult for a non-technical user to understand. We are investigating the use of ITA Controlled English (CE) to express policies that are both human-readable and machine parsable. We present a simple model for writing authorization and obligation policies in CE. We provide a full example of the policies and rules for a simple messaging scenario including the CE models, facts and rules. The language is compared to the Common Information Model Simple Policy Language (SPL) and limitations of using CE for policy expression are explored.
Whereas the traditional view in cognitive science has been to view mind and cognition as somethin... more Whereas the traditional view in cognitive science has been to view mind and cognition as something that is the result of essentially inner, neural processes, the extended cognition perspective claims that at least some human mental states and processes stem from complex webs of causal influence involving extra-neural resources, most notably the resources of our social and technological environments. In
Ground/Air Multisensor Interoperability, Integration, and Networking for Persistent ISR IV, 2013
ABSTRACT In a coalition context, data fusion involves combining of soft (e.g., field reports, int... more ABSTRACT In a coalition context, data fusion involves combining of soft (e.g., field reports, intelligence reports) and hard (e.g., acoustic, imagery) sensory data such that the resulting output is better than what it would have been if the data are taken individually. However, due to the lack of explicit semantics attached with such data, it is difficult to automatically disseminate and put the right contextual data in the hands of the decision makers. In order to understand the data, explicit meaning needs to be added by means of categorizing and/or classifying the data in relationship to each other from base reference sources. In this paper, we present a semantic framework that provides automated mechanisms to expose real-time raw data effectively by presenting appropriate information needed for a given situation so that an informed decision could be made effectively. The system utilizes controlled natural language capabilities provided by the ITA (International Technology Alliance) Controlled English (CE) toolkit to provide a human-friendly semantic representation of messages so that the messages can be directly processed in human/machine hybrid environments. The Real-time Semantic Enrichment (RTSE) service adds relevant contextual information to raw data streams from domain knowledge bases using declarative rules. The rules define how the added semantics and context information are derived and stored in a semantic knowledge base. The software framework exposes contextual information from a variety of hard and soft data sources in a fast, reliable manner so that an informed decision can be made using semantic queries in intelligent software systems.
Query formulation is a key aspect of information retrieval, contributing to both the efficiency a... more Query formulation is a key aspect of information retrieval, contributing to both the efficiency and usability of many semantic applications. A number of query languages, such as SPARQL, have been developed for the Semantic Web; however, there is a notable absence of tools to support end users with respect to the creation and editing of semantic queries. In this paper
Many real-world problems require the cooperative effort of multiple individuals, and the nature o... more Many real-world problems require the cooperative effort of multiple individuals, and the nature of the communication that takes place between such individuals is often key to understanding the collective successes (and failures) of such groups. A better understanding of how network structures affect the performance of collective problem-solving can lead to valuable insights as to how a network should be engineered to address a particular type of problem. A number of previous studies have investigated this issue, but ...
In thinking about the transformative potential of network technologies with respect to human cogn... more In thinking about the transformative potential of network technologies with respect to human cognition, it is common to see network resources as playing a largely assistive or augmentative role. In this paper we propose a somewhat more radical vision. We suggest that the informational and technological elements of a network system can, at times, constitute part of the material supervenience base for a human agent's mental states and processes. This thesis (called the thesis of network-enabled cognition) draws its ...
For the most part, studies in the network science literature tend to focus on networks whose func... more For the most part, studies in the network science literature tend to focus on networks whose functional connectivity is largely invariant with respect to some episode of collective information processing. In the real world, however, networks with highly dynamic functional topologies tend to be the norm. In order to improve our understanding of the effect of dynamic networks on collective cognitive processing, we explored the problem-solving abilities of synthetic agents in dynamic networks, where the links between agents were ...
The effect of dynamic networks on distributed problem-solving was examined using a multi-agent si... more The effect of dynamic networks on distributed problem-solving was examined using a multi-agent simulation environment. Synthetic agents were tasked with the problem of finding optimal solutions to a specific design problem, and they were allowed to communicate the results of their search efforts to other agents via a dynamically-evolving communication network structure. The growth of the network was determined by two parameters. One parameter determined the rate at which the network structure emerged, while the second ...
Network-Enabled Cognition: The Contribution of Social and Technological Networks to Human Cognition, Jul 10, 2010
We tend to think of cognition as something that takes place inside the heads of individual human ... more We tend to think of cognition as something that takes place inside the heads of individual human agents; however, it is clear that many of our cognitive accomplishments depend just as much on our ability to exploit the elements of our social and technological environments as they do on the information processing dynamics of the biological brain. Our social networks constitute a particularly potent source of bio-external scaffolding: one that shapes, constrains and influences the profile of much of our daily cognitive activity. However, the ...
... References Clark, A. (2008) Supersizing the Mind: Embodiment, Action, and Cognitive Extension... more ... References Clark, A. (2008) Supersizing the Mind: Embodiment, Action, and Cognitive Extension Oxford University Press, USA. Clark, A. (in press) Memento's revenge: the extended mind, extended. In R. Menary (Ed.), The Extended Mind. Ashgate Publishers, Aldershot. ...
Uploads
Papers by Dave Braines