A Knowledge Based System for the Design of Mobile Subscriber Equipment Communications Networks.
Abstract
This project designed a knowledge based system that will assist tactical communications systems planners design tactical communications networks. The system was developed to be used with a new generation of United States Army tactical communications equipment, the Mobile Subscriber Equipment (MSE) System, and was named the Mobile Subscriber Equipment Network Design System (MSENDS). MSENDS is designed to use terrain knowledge available from digital terrain databases, and knowledge specific to the MSE system to perform the network design process. The heuristic network design method of clustering is used to develop an initial terrain independent network design. The initial design is then evaluated using terrain knowledge and MSE specific knowledge for constraint satisfaction. Network redesign strategies are invoked as unsatisfied constraints are identified. The evaluation and redesign of the network is performed iteratively until a satisfactory design is achieved. A prototype of MSENDS was implemented to evaluate the proposed design. A blackboard architecture that enabled non-chronological backtracking to be used was implemented. The prototype does not use terrain knowledge in its design or redesign operations; only MSE specific knowledge is used by the prototype. It was found that the use of the design, evaluate redesign architecture coupled with MSE specific knowledge was able to design a network with a lower cost than was produced by a system employing no domain specific knowledge. These results indicate that the proposed system may be useful in the design of tactical communications networks.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1985
- Accession Number
- ADA163994
Entities
People
- Brin A. Tolliffe
Organizations
- Air Force Institute of Technology