Building complex software for large information and data systems is time consuming and expensive. Likewise, interfacing with and using legacy software systems is difficult under the best of circumstances. NASA has a requirement to conduct mission operations on a smaller budget and resources for developing new systems and maintaining legacy systems are severely limited. NASA requires new methods and techniques for constructing large complex information systems. Intelligent agents and agent-based software have the potential for significantly changing the way complex information systems are constructed. Using intelligent agents, software development becomes a much simpler and cheaper process because the software developer deals with high-level abstractions (agents) rather than low-level software abstractions (such as objects). Using the agent paradigm, programming is simply the process of defining agents and their behaviors. Reticular Systems Inc. proposes a research effort leading to the development of a family of DYNamic Agents for Mission Operations (DYNAMO). DYNAMO will significantly enhance the software development process, reduce software development time and provide additional capabilities (e.g., planning, learning and autonomous operations) that are otherwise difficult to provide in information systems. The goal of the DYNAMO project is to show how intelligent agents can be used to implement mission operations systems.
