Incremental document map formation: multi-stage approach

The paper presents methodology for the incremental map formation in a multi-stage process of a search engine with the map based user interface1. The architecture of the experimental system allows for comparative evaluation of different constituent technologies for various stages of the process. The quality of the map generation process has been investigated based on a number of clustering and classification measures. Some conclusions concerning the impact of various technological solutions on map quality are presented

A hierarchical distributed control model for coordinating intelligent systems

A hierarchical distributed control (HDC) model for coordinating cooperative problem-solving among intelligent systems is described. The model was implemented using SOCIAL, an innovative object-oriented tool for integrating heterogeneous, distributed software systems. SOCIAL embeds applications in 'wrapper' objects called Agents, which supply predefined capabilities for distributed communication, control, data specification, and translation. The HDC model is realized in SOCIAL as a 'Manager'Agent that coordinates interactions among application Agents. The HDC Manager: indexes the capabilities of application Agents; routes request messages to suitable server Agents; and stores results in a commonly accessible 'Bulletin-Board'. This centralized control model is illustrated in a fault diagnosis application for launch operations support of the Space Shuttle fleet at NASA, Kennedy Space Center