Partial global planning: a coordination framework for distributed hypothesis formation

• Published in: IEEE transactions on systems, man, and cybernetics man, and cybernetics, 1991-09, Vol.21 (5), p.1167-1183
• Main Authors: Durfee, E.H., Lesser, V.R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Artificial intelligence; Condition monitoring; Contracts; Exact sciences and technology; Fuses; Operational research and scientific management; Operational research. Management science; Planning. Forecasting; Process planning; Sensor fusion; Sensor phenomena and characterization; Sensor systems; Sensor systems and applications; Vehicles
• ISSN: 0018-9472; 2168-2909
• DOI: 10.1109/21.120067

Partial global planning is used to provide a framework for coordinating multiple AI systems that are cooperating in a distributed sensor network. By combining a variety of coordination techniques into a single, unifying framework, partial global planning enables separate AI systems to reason about their roles and responsibilities as part of group problem solving, and to modify their planned processing and communication actions to act as a more coherent team. Partial global planning is uniquely suited for coordinating systems that are working in continuous, dynamic, and unpredictable domains because it interleaves coordination with action and allows systems to make effective decisions despite incomplete and possibly obsolete information about network activity. The authors implement and evaluate partial global planning in a simulated vehicle monitoring application and identifying promising extensions to the framework.< >