# Presentation: 067402

## Intelligent Software Agent TechnologyUSPACOM Success with Virtual Information Processing Agent Research (VIPAR) at the Virtual Information Center

**Thomas E. Potok, Ph.D.**
**Applied Software Engineering Research Group Leader**
**Computational Sciences and Engineering Division**
**Oak Ridge National Laboratory**
**Research Team**
**Mark Elmore, Joel Reed, Jim Treadwell**

**Notes:**
I am here to report upon a successful experiment at leveraging the counter-terrorist intellectual capacity of the analysts at the VIC.

We have written a software agent system that is currently deployed by intelligence analysts at the US Pacific Command (PACOM) in Hawaii.

A team of software agents read a number of open-source internet newspapers and organize the articles into logical groupings.

So often, the problem is not lack of information, it is the organization of volumes of information so that the information becomes useful.

## Oak Ridge National Laboratory 

**Established in 1943 for the World War II Manhattan Project. **
**ORNL today pioneers the development of new energy sources, technologies, and materials **
**The advancement of knowledge in**
**Biological, Chemical, **
**Computational, Engineering, **
**Environmental, Physical, and Social Sciences.  **
**Budget: $870 million, 80% Department of Energy, 20% work for others. **
**3800 employees, 1500 scientists and engineers **

**Notes:**
Let me tell you where I work, because I think that this important...

Manahattan project used technology to end WWII, we are now faced with the need to again end this war on terrorism through benefit of technology developed at ORNL.

ORNL was created to end a war, with what was then modern technology we are again employing technology at ORNL to help end this war on terrorism.

## Technology Challenge:

**Can we effectively process increasing volumes of data?**

- Binary

- Text

- Image

- Multimedia

**11010010**

- One small step for man

- Sensors

- Time

- Data

- Agents

- 1970

- 1980

- 1990

- 2000

- 2010

## Simple Agent Example

**Agent, **
**find me the book **
**“****War and Peace,”**
**and I need it **
**tomorrow**

- Does the
- agent understand
- buying books?

- Form a plan
- to buy the
- book

***Amazon***

***Barnes and***
***Nobel***

***B. Dalton***

**2 Days**
**$18.50**

**1 Day **
**$21.75**

**1 Day **
**$20.25**

**Dedicated**
**Agents**

## Simple Agent Example

**Agent, **
**find me the book **
**“****War and Peace,”**
**and I need it **
**tomorrow**

- Does the
- agent understand
- buying books?

- Form a plan
- to buy the
- book

***Amazon***

***Barnes and***
***Nobel***

***B. Dalton***

**2 Days**
**$18.50**

**1 Day **
**$21.75**

**1 Day **
**$20.25**

**Dedicated**
**Agents**

- Execute the
- plan

***Library***

**1 Day **
**Free**

***eBay***

**1 Day **
**$12.50**

**Agent**
**Communities**

***On-Line***
- www.online-literature.com

**Now**
**Free**

## USPACOM Virtual Information Center

**Inside China**

**Russia Today**

**Jakarta Post**

**Unorganized Newspaper**
** ****Articles**

**Analysts**

**Summary**

- CINC Summary

_**Manually**_** gather **
**Information from**
**20–30 newspapers**

_**Manually**_** Organize **
**Information**

_**Intellectually**_** Analyze**
**And Summarize **
**Information**

## USPACOM Virtual Information Center

**Inside China**

**Russia Today**

**Jakarta Post**

**Unorganized Newspaper**
** ****Articles**

**Analysts**

**Summary**

- CINC Summary

_**Manually**_** gather **
**Information from**
**20–30 newspapers**

_**Manually**_** Organize **
**Information**

_**Intellectually**_** Analyze**
**And Summarize **
**Information**

- What if _**technology **_could do this for the analyst in real time?

## New Intelligent Agent Approach

**Article **
**Retrieval**
**Agents**

**Organize and**
**summarize**
**Articles**

- Inside China

- Russia Today

- Jakarta Post

_**Intellectually**_** Analyze**
**And Summarize **
**Information**

**Technologically **_***Gather***_***,***** **
_***Organize***_***, *****and***** ***_***Summarize***_
**Thousands of articles **

**Analysts**

**Summary**

- Gathers and organizes 10,000 article per day the articles for the analysts
- Can increase the capability of an analyst by 10 fold
- Leverage the analyst’s intellectual capacity for more precise decision support

## VIPAR Technology

**Agglomerative hierarchical clustering**
**Dynamic vector space model **
**Entropy based term frequency measures**
**Resource Description Framework (RDF) agent ontologies**
**K-means knowledge discovery**
**Phylips tree rendering**

**Notes:**
Computer scientist who Agent technology specialist, VIPAR is one of my products. Agent technology can take advantage of many different approaches and methods. We targetted VIPAR technology to the PACOM problem.

## Clustering: A Simple Example

**2. Terms Dictionary**

**1. Original and Parsed Documents**

**7. Phylips tree representation**

**3. Vector Space Model**

**4. Document Similarity**

**6. Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering**

- 1

- 2

- 3

- 4

- 6

- 7

- 8

**5. Euclidean Distance**

**Notes:**
Among all of these techologies, I want to take a few minutes to explain clustering and then illustrate the power of agent technology employing this device later in my briefing

This clustering proved to be an important attribute of our agent implementation for PACOM and Adm. Blair.

## VIPAR Example “Taliban” Search – 15 FEB 2002                           “Taleban”

- Accountability in Afghanistan, **FRIENDLY FIRE**
- U.S. paid off warlords
- U.S. Taliban fighter will remain in custody
- Army Troops Fired Upon in Kandahar;
- Lindh Pleads Not Guilty to Terror Aid
- Kabul warns of Taliban, al-Qaida holdouts
- American Taliban pleads not guilty
- World Scene February 11, 2002 • Combined dispatches and staff reports
- Geneva rules for Taliban
- Bending the Geneva Rules
- Musharraf concedes rivalry renewed with Iran
- 'Axis' speech starts paying off
- Bush ties drug use to terrorist support
- Troops search site for dead al Qaeda
- Rumsfeld assails POW critics

**Notes:**
Let me give you a more current example, because when that plane hit the pentagon, I was getting out of my cab to brief LTG Riggs.

(My research is important to me, but what is really important to me is using my resesarch to fight this war.)

## VIPAR Knowledge Management: The analyst’s Edge Same result, easier to “see”

**Prisoners**
- POWs
- Rumsfeld assails POW critics
- Geneva rules for Taliban
- Bending the Geneva Rules
- American Taliban
- U.S. Taliban fighter will remain in custody
- Lindh Pleads Not Guilty to Terror Aid
- American Taliban pleads not guilty
**Afghan Region**
- Military Action
- Accountability in Afghanistan, FRIENDLY FIRE
- Army Troops Fired Upon in Kandahar;
- Kabul warns of Taliban, al-Qaida holdouts
- Troops search site for dead al Qaeda
- Afghanistan
- World Scene February 11, 2002 • Combined dispatches and staff reports
- U.S. paid off warlords
- Bush ties drug use to terrorist support
- Other Middle Eastern Countries
- 'Axis' speech starts paying off
- Musharraf concedes rivalry renewed with Iran

- POWs

- American Taliban

- Military Action

- Afghanistan

- Other Middle Eastern Countries

**Prisoners**

**Afghan Region**

**Notes:**
Earlier I explained the clustering technology as one element of agent technology that we developed because it was important to the analysts at the VIC. Here is an illustration of the power of that clustering technique, applied in this technological context.

## Endorsements

**US Pacific Command’s CINC Admiral Blair**
**“****A tremendously successful project”**
**“****Software agents ... lead to substantially improved analytical products.”**
**Science and Technology Advisor**
**“****a grand slam home run!”**
**“****first time we've seen information discovery and knowledge management software working at HQ USCINCPAC operationally.”**

**Notes:**
And the next challenge is to expand our success within the domain of the VIC and extend our experience to such domains as C2.

## Successful Projects

**Collaborative Management Environment**

**Manufacturing Emulation Agent System**

**Supply Chain Management Agent System**

- We have extensive expertise in agent development

- Over 10 successful projects within the last 5 years

- 1985

- 1990

- 1995

- 2000

**Scientific Data Management**

***VIPAR Knowledge Discovery***

**Notes:**
Earlier I told you that we have broad experience, here is the stairstep chart of the last 15 year of research

## Cyber Counterintelligence Example

**58,238 records of errors when accessing ORNL’s network on one day in September.**
**If printed, over 5000 pages worth of data**
**A Critical Decision **
**Is someone trying to hack into the system?**
**Who are the malicious users?**
**What can I ignore?**
**How can I analyze this with current tools?**
**What elements of this data are crucial?**

## Agent Technology Detecting Usage Patterns  

-      Potential pattern of attack
- searching for network weaknesses

-      Anonymous users potentially
- attacking the system

-      Normal web user errors
- “Page not found” by user

-      Potential attacks of internal e-mail systems

**Summary of 58,000 outside hits of the ORNL website**

-      Pattern of person or persons intentionally hiding their identity

**Notes:**
Earlier I told you about Adm Blair’s need for the VIC, here is another cluster analysis result. Look at the patterns...

## Information Challenge in Modern Command and Control Environments

**Video Feed**
**GPS**
**Ammo level sensor**
**Gun sensor**
**Clothing sensors**
**Battlefield sensors**
**PDA **
**Orders**
**Maps**
**Personnel info**
**Enemy info**
**Battle info**
**Customs**

**Video Feed**
**GPS**
**Ammo level sensor**
**Gun sensor**
**Clothing sensors**
**Battlefield sensors**
**PDA **
**Orders**
**Maps**
**Personnel info**
**Enemy info**
**Battle info**
**Customs**

**Video Feed**
**GPS**
**Ammo level sensor**
**Gun sensor**
**Clothing sensors**
**Battlefield sensors**
**PDA **
**Orders**
**Maps**
**Personnel info**
**Enemy info**
**Battle info**
**Customs**

- Signals and Data

- Decision

_**DECISION!**_

**Troop assessment**
**Damage assessments**
**Casualty reports**
**Logistics report**
**Enemy intelligence**
**Network Compromise**
**Anthrax detection**

## Agents 2007

**Video Feed**
**GPS**
**Ammo level sensor**
**Gun sensor**
**Clothing sensors**
**Battlefield sensors**
**PDA **
**Orders**
**Maps**
**Personnel info**
**Enemy info**
**Battle info**
**Customs**

**Video Feed**
**GPS**
**Ammo level sensor**
**Gun sensor**
**Clothing sensors**
**Battlefield sensors**
**PDA **
**Orders**
**Maps**
**Personnel info**
**Enemy info**
**Battle info**
**Customs**

**Video Feed**
**GPS**
**Ammo level sensor**
**Gun sensor**
**Clothing sensors**
**Battlefield sensors**
**PDA **
**Orders**
**Maps**
**Personnel info**
**Enemy info**
**Battle info**
**Customs**

- Information

- Decision

**DECISION**

**Troop assessment**
**Damage assessments**
**Casualty reports**
**Logistics report**
**Enemy intelligence**
**Network Compromise**
**Anthrax detection**

**Video Feeds**
**GPS**
**Ammo level sensor**
**Gun sensor**
**Clothing sensors**
**Battlefield sensors**
**PDA **
**Orders**
**Maps**
**Personnel info**
**Enemy info**
**Battle info**
**Customs**

**Video Feeds**
**GPS**
**Ammo level sensor**
**Gun sensor**
**Clothing sensors**
**Battlefield sensors**
**PDA **
**Orders**
**Maps**
**Personnel info**
**Enemy info**
**Battle info**
**Customs**

- Intelligent
- Agent

- Intelligent
- Agent

- Intelligent
- Agent

- Intelligent
- Agents

- Intelligent
- Agents

- Low Ammo

- Off Course

- Enemy Position

_**Anthrax detected**_
- _(Medical Records) _
_**Enemy Near**_
- (_see Video)_
_**Support ammo low**_

## Agents 2012

**Agent**

**Decision**
**Analysis**
**“****What if...”**

**Video Feed**
**GPS**
**Ammo level sensor**
**Gun sensor**
**Clothing sensors**
**Battlefield sensors**
**PDA **
**Orders**
**Maps**
**Personnel info**
**Enemy info**
**Battle info**
**Customs**

**Video Feed**
**GPS**
**Ammo level sensor**
**Gun sensor**
**Clothing sensors**
**Battlefield sensors**
**PDA **
**Orders**
**Maps**
**Personnel info**
**Enemy info**
**Battle info**
**Customs**

**Video Feed**
**GPS**
**Ammo level sensor**
**Gun sensor**
**Clothing sensors**
**Battlefield sensors**
**PDA **
**Orders**
**Maps**
**Personnel info**
**Enemy info**
**Battle info**
**Customs**

- Information

- Decision

**Video Feeds**
**GPS**
**Ammo level sensor**
**Gun sensor**
**Clothing sensors**
**Battlefield sensors**
**PDA **
**Orders**
**Maps**
**Personnel info**
**Enemy info**
**Battle info**
**Customs**

**Video Feeds**
**GPS**
**Ammo level sensor**
**Gun sensor**
**Clothing sensors**
**Battlefield sensors**
**PDA **
**Orders**
**Maps**
**Personnel info**
**Enemy info**
**Battle info**
**Customs**

- Intelligent
- Agent

- Intelligent
- Agent

- Intelligent
- Agent

- Intelligent
- Agents

- Low Ammo

- Off Course

- Enemy Position

_**Anthrax detected**_
- _(Medical Records) _
_**Enemy Near**_
- (_see Video)_
_**Support ammo low**_

- Decision Modeling and Support Agents

**Intelligence**
**Agent**

**Operations**
**Agent**

**Logistics**
**Agent**

**Strategic**
**Plans**
**Agent**

**C4 **
**Systems**
**Agent**

**Operational**
**Plans**
**Agent**

**Force**
**Structure**
**Agent**

- Anthrax attack is real?
-  13% of troops will die
-  10,000 civilian will die
- We engage the enemy?
-  70% chance of victory
-  With air support 90%

## Agents Beyond 2012

**Decision**
**Analysis**
**“****What if?”**

**Video Feed**
**GPS**
**Ammo level sensor**
**Gun sensor**
**Clothing sensors**
**Battlefield sensors**
**PDA **
**Orders**
**Maps**
**Personnel info**
**Enemy info**
**Battle info**
**Customs**

**Video Feed**
**GPS**
**Ammo level sensor**
**Gun sensor**
**Clothing sensors**
**Battlefield sensors**
**PDA **
**Orders**
**Maps**
**Personnel info**
**Enemy info**
**Battle info**
**Customs**

**Video Feed**
**GPS**
**Ammo level sensor**
**Gun sensor**
**Clothing sensors**
**Battlefield sensors**
**PDA **
**Orders**
**Maps**
**Personnel info**
**Enemy info**
**Battle info**
**Customs**

**Video Feeds**
**GPS**
**Ammo level sensor**
**Gun sensor**
**Clothing sensors**
**Battlefield sensors**
**PDA **
**Orders**
**Maps**
**Personnel info**
**Enemy info**
**Battle info**
**Customs**

**Video Feeds**
**GPS**
**Ammo level sensor**
**Gun sensor**
**Clothing sensors**
**Battlefield sensors**
**PDA **
**Orders**
**Maps**
**Personnel info**
**Enemy info**
**Battle info**
**Customs**

- Intelligent
- Agent

- Intelligent
- Agent

- Intelligent
- Agent

- Intelligent
- Agents

- Low Ammo

- Off Course

- Enemy Position

_**Anthrax detected**_
- _(Medical Records) _
_**Enemy Near**_
- (_see Video)_
_**Support ammo low**_

- How do we prevent future Anthrax attacks?
- ...
- What other attacks are likely?
- ...

- What if:
- Anthrax attack is real?
-  13% of troops will die
-  10,000 civilian will die
- We engage the enemy?
-  70% chance of victory
-  With air support 90%

## Summary

**Intelligent software agents are a significant breakthrough technology **
**We have a progression of significantly successful, deployed, agent systems and research to our credit**
**Our systems represent a unique discrimination from state-of-the-practice, common, data mining **
**Enhancements would focus on military-specific needs, e.g.; languages, types of sources/data, decision aides, manpower savings **

## Contact Information

**Thomas E. Potok, Ph.D.**
- _[Potokte@ornl.gov](mailto:Potokte@ornl.gov)_
**865-574-0834**