We are engaged in a number of projects that deal with new paradigms
for building, maintaining, and securing large computing systems.
These often involve intermediary services at various levels:
Mediators
(viewgraphs),
so that sharing becomes scalable.
This work is based on concepts investigated in the development of information
mediation;
mediator technology is now becoming
commercially
available.
We believe that the
software paradigm
(viewgraphs)
is changing, and will critically effect the business of program creation and
maintenance. It should also effect what should be taught. To this end
we are teaching
CS 446,
Large Scale Software System Construction and performing research on
An example is the work on
mediators for fusion of data for Environmental Restoration at the
Idaho National Engineering Labs (INEL-ERIS)
).
A
bibliography focusing on recent related material is available.
The intent is to demonstrate viability of a language
(SimQL)
which will permit integration and reuse of simulations within advanced
information
systems.
Simulations provide the real support for decision-making, by
allowing us to make projections into the future. A true decision
support system should be able to combine database information,
(obtained via SQL), knowledge (obtained via KQML), and projections
from simulations (obtained via SimQL). The simulations themselves can
use a variety of techniques and respresentations, as spreadsheets,
equation solvers, stepwise modelers. Our intent is to extend with
SimQL the database paradigm, where data can come from relational,
textual, and semi-structured databases, and the AI world, where
knowledge has many representations, as suited for the computational
task, to the unexploited world of simulations. A number of presentations have beeen given, and several papers were published:
Prior participants: Intially funded by DARPA ITO as part of the EDCS program
and partially continuing with support from ORD.
The CHAIMS effort is investigationg a very-high level
(mega-)programming language for software module composition.
Its initial compiler was able
to generate a variety of invocation sequences for current and
developing standards for software interoperation, with a focus on
multi-computer, distributed operation. The language will include the
ability to set up module interfaces prior to executions, request
performance estimates from modules pnrior to their invocation,
schedule modules in parallel, monitor execution of invoked modules,
interrupt inadequately performing modules, and provide data and
meta-information to customer interface modules [WiederholdWegnerCeri:
"Towards
Megaprogramming"; CACM, Nov.1992].
CHAIMS supports a paradigm shift which is already occurring: a move
from coding as the focus of programming to a focus on composition.
This shift is occurring invisibly to many enterprises, since there is
no clear boundary in moving from subroutine usage to remote service
invocation. There are hence few tools and inadequate education to deal
with this change.
See http://www-db.stanford.edu/CHAIMS/
for details.
Precise workplans are still being developed, but are likely to involve
This project undertook research in automated data abstraction,
based on a formalized model of the customer's need for information.
Such an abstraction process will be performed by a knowledge-driven
subsystem
in a computer network which mediates between customers and
data resources. The aproach focuses on the crucial issue of data or
information overload, which occurs when the volume of data exceeds
what a customer can comprehend. This problem is increasing in
importance, since improved communication, larger databases, and
effective search methods are now providing more material than people
can afford to read or analyze.
The specific application is to training data, and the model
represents the learning/training scenario. A scenario is intended to
fullfill a number of training objectives. After the scenario is
executed (and perhaps even during excution) the feedback can help
design better or complementary successor scenarios,
Abstract:
The problem addressed by Mediation to Implement Feedback in Training
(MIFT) is to customize the feedback from training
exercises by exploiting knowledge about the training scenario,
training objectives, and specific student/teacher needs. We achieve
this by inserting an intelligent mediation layer into the
information flow from observations collected
during training exercises to the display and user interface.
Knowledge about training objectives, scenarios, and tasks is
maintained in
the mediating layer. A designer constraint is that domain experts must
be able
to extend mediators by adding domain-specific knowledge that supports
additional aggregations, abstractions, and views of the results of
training
exercises.
The MIFT mediation concept is intended to be integrated with existing military
training exercise management tools and reduce the cost of developing
and maintaining separate feedback and evaluation tools for every
training simulator and every set of customer needs. The MIFT
Architecture is designed as a set of independently reusable components
which interact with each other through standardized formalisms such as
the Knowledge Interchange Format (KIF) and Knowledge Query
and Manipulation Language.
This project provided the
GlOSS indexing mechanism to EIT,
and is now working on a demonstration of an Ontology Algebra
to resolve differences among disparate definitions in commercial vendor catalogs
Slides explaining our view of
Ontologies.
and how to deal with them by disjointly via an algebra over their
Domains.
or read "Interoperation,
Mediation, and Ontologies";
Proceedings International Symposium on Fifth Generation Computer
Systems (FGCS94), Workshop on Heterogeneous Cooperative
Knowledge-Bases, Vol.W3, pages 33-48, ICOT, Tokyo, Japan, Dec. 1994.
The concepts for this project are now the subject of research in
See Scalable Knowledge Composition (SKC) for details.
On specific projects
Preservation
We are engaged in an NSF-sponsored Workshop on
Preservation and
Archiving of Documents and Software, to be held march 26-27, 1999 in Washington DC.
Technology Transfer
A meta issue for all these efforts is improving the
transition of
technology into practice, which I hope to accomplish through early
engagement and support to companies who can help in prototype
development and
then serve as demonstration and transfer sites to end users.
The actual projects are:
Scalable Knowledge Composition
A proct initiated in 1997 with funding from AFOSR to develop an Algebra over Ontologies.
See (SKC) for details.
A Simulation Access Language (SimQL)
Initiation contract from ARPA DSO / NIST
Started Spring 1996, completed summer 1997.
We have submitted a proposal for a major effort (InSim), and were
approved, but not funded.Participants:
Gio Wiederhold (PI)
Rushan Jiang < rushan@leland.stanford.edu > (CS MS, graduated)
James Chiu (CSD, MS; CS395 project, completed graduated)
Integrating Simulation
Into Information Systems (htm), presented at Dagstuhl, Germany
May 2002.
Build Real Information Systems! (ppt draft)
Wiederhold, Gio: "Information
Systems that Really Support Decision-making"; Journal
of Intelligent Information Systems; Vol.14, Kluwer, March 2000,
pages 85-94.
Wiederhold, Gio: "Information
Systems that Really Support Decision-making"; Journal
of Intelligent Information Systems; Vol.14, Kluwer, March 2000,
pages 85-94.
Access to and Formalization of Building Regulations
Supported by NSF ITR with initial research at CIFE, Dept. of Civil
Engineering
See REGNET,
under direction of Professor Kincho Law,
CIFE.
Project being initiated, looking for an interested and capable student.
Mediators for Environmental Restoration Data (INEL/ERIS)
Under contract from the Idaho National Engineering Labs (INEL)
Funded by IRD resources through
Lockheed-Martin Idaho Technologies Co (LMITCo).
Mediator technology to integrate Environmental Restoration data from
heterogeneous sources (ERIS).
Planning phase (1) (1995) completed, prototype research.
Phase 2 (1995-1996) completed, prototype in operation at INEL.
Phase 3, started in March of in 1997, completed 1998.
Participants:
Gio Wiederhold
David Maluf < maluf@db.Stanford.edu >
Priya Panchapegasan < bhujanga@leland.Stanford.edu >
Joshua Hui < wjhui@cs.stanford.edu >
ISX Inc (Nancy Lehrer, Charles Channell, Stephan Erickson), a company
currently
coordinating information on DARPA's I3 program, which
supports much other work on mediators. (Phases 1 and 2)
INEL, LMITCo (Lynn Dean, Toni Hempstead, Dave Schwieder, others)
Trusted Interoperation of Health Care Information
(TIHI).
Subcontract with SRI International, XiaoLei Qian, now Steve Dawson (PI)
Security mediators to permit collaboration among enterprises that cannot
to share all resources.
In progress since 1 March 1995.
Participants at Stanford:
Gio Wiederhold
< Gio@cs.stanford.edu >
Michel Bilello < michel@db.stanford.edu > (Post Doc, medical student, project leader)
Andrea Chavez < aechavez@leland.stanford.edu > (JD, CS MS student, graduated)
Chris Donahue < dewi@db.stanford.edu > (demo, programmer, completed)
Vastala Sarathy < vsarathy@us.oracle.com > (CS MS, graduated)
more.
Secure Access Wrapper: Securing Databases by Access Mediation
(SAW).
Subcontract with SRI International, XiaoLei Qian (PI)
A new proposal
(control number 96030520) which will apply the secure mediation techniques
being developed in TIHI within the system survivability program.
Startdate: September 1, 1996
Participants at Stanford:
Gio Wiederhold
< Gio@cs.stanford.edu > (PI)
Michel Bilello < michel@db.stanford.edu > (Post Doc, medical student, project leader)
Jahnavi Akella < jakella@leland.stanford.edu > (CS MS)
Chris Donahue < dewi@db.stanford.edu > (programmer, completed)
Yan Tan < yant@db.stanford.edu > (IE MS student)
more.
Compiling High-level Access Interfaces for Multi-site Software
(CHAIMS)
Adaptive Crisis Response (ACR):
Funded as a Multi-displinary University Research Intiative (MURI)
Research under this grant to develop and integrate agent-based technologies into
Advanced Planning and Decision Theory.
Startdate: Fall quarter 1996/97, withdrawn 1997..
Participants at Stanford
Prof. Michael Fehling (PI) (EES)
Dr. Gregg Courand (EES)
Prof. Carlo Tomasi (CS)
Gio Wiederhold (CS)
Arthur Keller (Research Scientist CS) < ark@cs.stanford.edu >
Joshua Hui (CS) < wjhui@cs.stanford.edu >
Mediation to Implement Feedback in Training
(MIFT)
Supported by ARPA ITO
Mediator technology to analyze data
obtained during simulated, real, and mixed training exercises
according to training scenarios. For details see
MIFT research plans and
demonstration
plans.
Funding started March 1 1996 and terminated in 1997.
Participants:
Gio
Wiederhold
Myriad Software (Ted Linden) < Linden@MyriadSfw.com >
David Maluf
Bhujanga Priya Panchapagesan (graduated)
Joshua Hui (graduated)
Publications:
Links:
Project
overview --
Mediation to
Implement Feedback in Training --
MIFT Applied
to Military Exercise Management --
Architecture
--
--
Information Flow (postscript).
Indexing and Ontologies for Databases within
Commercenet.
Supported by ARPA TRP funding to EIT Inc.
Support for Electronic Commerce on the Internet.
Funding started 1993, database portion is terminated in 1997.
Stanford Principals:
Michael Genesererth
Richard Fikes
Doug Engelmore
Arthur Keller
Narinder Singh (left)
Participants in the InfoLab:
Hector Garcia-Molina (Completed) < hector@db.stanford.edu >
Gio Wiederhold
Luis Gravano (Completed) < gravano@db.stanford.edu > (graduated)
Ashok Advani (Completed) < advani@cs.stanford.edu > (graduated)
David Maluf, Postdoc < maluf@db.stanford.edu >
Marcus Chan, CS MS student < ccc@db.stanford.edu > (graduated)
Intelligent Software Agents that Access PDQ and CANCERLIT
NCI Subcontract from Lexical Technology Inc, Alameda CA
Funding is by the
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
via an Small Business (SBIR) grant.
General PI: Mark Tuttle (tuttle@Lxt.com) Lexical technology.
Stanford PI: Gio Wiederhold (gio@cs.stanford.edu)
Stanford administrator: Rosalind Ravasio (ravasio@smi.stanford.edu)
Funding started 1 Oct.1996 and is administered by the Section on
Medical Informatics, and is to extend over two years.
Stanford Principals and Participants:
Bob Carlson (Medicine/Oncology)
Larry Fagan (SMI)
Gloria Linder (librarian consulatant)
Wanda Pratt (SMI)
The project is to provide mediation agent technology, based on the NLM UMLS ontology,
for NCI's public knowledge bases. in particular for the
NCI CancerNet.
Security mediators will also be a concern.
Stanford Computer Industry Project (SCIP)
Supported through GSB by the Sloan Foundation
Research in (OBSCIP) investigates
factors of success and failure in the Software Industry. My
particular interest are the changes occuring in program creation and
maintenance, and their effect on industrial practice and educational
requirements.
Started formally 1 January 1996.
Participants:
Prof. William Miller, Avron Barr, Shirley Tessler, other GSB faculty,
and
Gio Wiederhold
(CS) < Gio@cs.stanford.edu >
Wayne Lim < wlim@reuse.com > (MBA, IE student)
There are potentially positions for students who are interested in
analysis of the business aspects of the paradigm change.
Payment Methods for Web Access to the ACM Literature
unsupported
Participant
Wei Chen, Starfish Software (Completed)
See
ACM payment
prototype description.
Image databases
Support
This work was carried out partially under University support, partially
within courses as CS545I, and partially during external internships at IBM,
SRI international and NEC Corporation.
Some student support was provided by the Stanford University Libraries.
Participants
James Z. Wang < wangz@CS.Stanford.EDU >
Jia Li.
Oscar Firschein.
Chen Li <chenli@CS.Stanford.EDU>
Peter Mork <pmork@stanford.edu>
Edward Chang <echang@DB.Stanford.EDU>
Desmond Chan
others
Abstract
There is a range of projects that fall into this category.
Publications
Related work
Trusted Interoperation of Health care
Information.
Trusted Image
Dissemination.