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APPLYING DAML TO FOREIGN CLEARNACE

GUIDE (FCG)

07 May 03

Mark GorniakAFRL DAML Program Manager

Information Technology Directorate

Air Force Research Laboratory

gorniakm@rl.af.mil (315) 330-7724

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Benefits to the WarfighterDescription

Technology

• Develop intelligent search, retrieval, and storage of mission planning data to optimize current, and future C2 capabilities

• Improve AMC flight planning system

• Comprehensive, efficient algorithm for flight planning• Data search and integration methods with automated

feedback into planning and scheduling system• Intelligent software agents for mobility asset planning• Constraint-based planning/scheduling

AFRL Integrated Flight Management / Advanced Technology Demonstration (IFM/ATD)

* Continuous through Spiral Development of Deliverable Capabilities

TACC

AMC DataEnvironment Technology Investment Schedule

WARP Integration - SEP01

NOTAM Search and Retrieval

Intelligent Information Management

Technology Transition*

FY Prior 02 03 04 05

As of Feb 03

Diplomatic Clearance Automation

Dynamic Planning and Scheduling

IDiON Integration - MAY02

POC: Edward DePalma AFRL/IFSF

• Reduce unneeded information presented to flyers, planners, and flight managers

• Highlight constraining events automatically to operators

• Increase overall productivity within the Tanker Airlift Control Center (TACC)

• Allow the operator to run numerous courses of action quickly and then select the best option

• WARP (Worldwide Aeronautical Route Planner) integration led to 14% fewer flying hours and 7% ($202.9M) less fuel in mobility scenario†

†Defense Science Board (DSB) Fuel Study - May 2000

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The “Big Picture” Problem We’re Addressing

• Air Mobility Command (AMC) Diplomatic Clearance Problem

– Loss of $80K in Fuel and One Sortie Daily Due to Dip Clearance Violation

– $180K Per Day During Contingencies

– Indirect Effects:

• Lost Crew Time

• Delays in Transportation/Supply System

• Disrupted Flight/Cargo Movement Schedules

• …and On and On

CL

EA

RA

NC

E

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• Focus is efficient TACC Diplomatic Clearance Scheduling by automating:

– Lead Time Computation

Foreign Clearance Guide (FCG) Example:

• AIRCRAFT LEAD TIME REQUIREMENT

– 1. Landings in the former East Germany (except for the three airports in Berlin) - Five (5) working days

– 2. Air Exercises and training events in the airspace over the former East Germany - Five (5) working days

– “Brain Book” (paper binder with penciled-in tallies) ->

Applications/Annotation

• Approach

– FCG Annotation

– Agent-based Automation

AMC Diplomatic Clearance Solution

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Current AMC Procedures/Challenges

• Extremely Dynamic Planning Environment

• ~300 Missions Per Day, 400-600 Sorties!

• Responsive to Daily Global Changes

• Dip Clearance Process Not Integrated

• Changes to Mission Schedule Not Always Linked to

Diplomatic Clearance Shop/ FCG

• Improving Information Flow/Storage

• Stovepiped Data Becoming Integrated

• Headed Toward Complete, Constraint-Based Planning and Scheduling Environment

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Hazardous Cargo Constraints

A

B

C

D

E

F

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Brain Book Applications/Annotation

Hazardous Cargo Brain Book

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Ontologies Developed to Date

• AircraftClearanceRequest-ont

• AircraftType-ont

• AirportCargoException-ont

• Airport-ont

• ClearanceOption-ont

• Contact-ont

• Country-ont

• HazardousCargoException-ont

• Holiday-ont

• Leadtime-ont

• LandingNotification-ont*

• Mission-ont

* Not yet coded

FCG Annotation

FCG OWL Ontology

MissionMission

AircraftAircraft CargoCargo Diplomatic Clearance

Diplomatic Clearance

TimeTimeLead TimeLead TimeHazardousHazardous Non-HazardousNon-Hazardous

CountryCountry

SortieSortie

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Ontology Driven Information Processing

FCG Database Content Editing GUI for Holiday Data

Instance of Holiday Data (OWL)

OWL Holiday Ontology

FCG Database schema for Holiday Data tables

Ontology drivesschema design

Data exchanged betweendatabase and GUI

Schema designdrives GUI design

Instance file conformsto ontology

Data from databasepopulates instance file

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FCG Annotation FCG Content Markup Process Flow

Authoritative Data Source

(e.g. Electronic FCG)

Analyst using FCG Database Content

Editing GUI

FCGOracle

Database

Analyst using FCG Database Content Publishing GUI

FCG OWL Ontology

conforms to

Lead Time Compute

Agents

Instance Data

(OWL)

“Diplomatic Clearance Solutions for the Integrated Flight Management System” : BBN & DRC

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Lead Time Algorithm

• For each country

– Match the appropriate FCG rule (country, overflight/landing, mission type, hazardous cargo, blankets, etc.) to get the lead time requirements.

– Calculate the suspense date based on the mission date, lead time requirements, working days, and holidays.

– Return the lead time for landing and overflight

Lead Time Computation

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Leadtime values for the mission

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Map displaying areas requiring dip clearances – Red indicating a problem

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Agent Types

Heavy-weight Computation Agents

Light-weight Computation Agents

Search Agents

- Lead Time- Work Days- Exception Handling- Reroute Suggestions

- Create Dip Clearance Request Form- Validate Dip with Map – red/green- Check Blanket Clearance Availability- Classify Hazmat Cargo

- Monitor and Generate Alerts- Fetch Data

Agent-based Automation

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Benefits of FCG and Brain Book Content Markup

• Content becomes “agent-consumable”

– “Inference-able” on two levels

• Rule-like information that already exists as part of DAML (i.e. subclass relationships)

• Use of RuleML to represent conditional expression

• Automation of certain previously manual tasks (i.e. Lead time computations)

– Reduces human error

– Unambiguous – interpretation of information is same every time

FCG Annotation

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Lessons Learned

• Human readable text version must be supplemented with a significantly different (DAML) version of the FCG for machine readability.

• The DAML ontology is bounded by the application envisioned but re-useable by future applications. DAML allows ontologies to be extended.

– Current ontology mostly limited to key concepts associated with extracting lead-times from the FCG

• The ontology is used to organize information, in an associated knowledge base or database, and promises to enable the ability to extend and draw inferences on information.

– Note: DAML “Rules Standard” not yet defined; Query Language In-Process

• Currently, manual “mark up” required to extract FCG instances

– Ultimately, information providers (Embassies or State Department) should be equipped with tools/templates that will allow the DAML version to be created "easily"