WLAN industry standards continue to evolve at a rapid pace, therefore Mobilisa proposes an expert system wireless LAN design tool to manage and reduce acquisition and installations costs over a ship's 35-year lifetime. Our expert system uses a ship's 3-D space coordinates and mission data requirements as input, and produces optimal location for wireless access points (AP), type of AP and wireless mode. Parameters that can be controlled or evaluated include: coverage, security, robustness, bandwidth requirements, signal strength, and equipment and installation costs. We initially model two forms of 802.11 RF and Fast Infrared. Our system is adaptable to changing WLAN standards because each wireless access point technology is modeled individually, and then included in the overall expert system. When a new technology is introduced a new model representing that system is added to the library, while the overall expert system stays intact. Our expert system works with mixed wireless modes and has three cost prediction models. The expert system finds optimal WLAN design by using AI techniques of Heuristics coupled with Localized Genetic Algorithms. An explanation-based system is included. This system can be implemented as an API to existing Navy ship design systems such as ASSET. Wireless technology represents one of the fastest growing sectors of the IT Market. Mobilisa intends to aggressively market this technology into three new areas: 1) General WLAN Expert System to determine optimal use and placement of existing wireless COTS technologies for customers who want to add wireless technology to existing structures, such as offices, hotels, restaurants, hospitals, et cetera; 2) Specific application in sea vessels such as the Washington State Ferry System; and 3) tools that promote the used of multi-mode wireless technologies to work in a Open Systems Architecture
