Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports Volume 38 July 28, 2000

physical world. These are the two primary users of IPG, and they have rather different requirements. The results of the analysis
of the needs of these two types of users provides a broad set of requirements that gives rise to a general set of required capabilities.
The IPG project is intended to address all of these requirements. In some cases the required computing technology exists, and in
some cases it must be researched and developed. The project is using available technology to provide a prototype set of capabilities
in a persistent distributed computing testbed. Beyond this, there are required capabilities that are not immediately available, and
whose development spans the range from near-term engineering development (one to two years) to much longer term R&D (three
to six years). Additional information is contained in the original.
Author
Computers; On-Line Systems; Programming Environments; Systems Engineering; Telecommunication; Computer Networks;
Distributed Processing; Computer Systems Design; Parallel Processing (Computers)
20000064600 Florida International Univ., Dept. of Decision Science and Information Systems, Miami, FL USA
Knowledge Management Systems
Becerra-Fernandez, Irma, Florida International Univ., USA; February 2000; In English; See also 20000064579; No Copyright;
Abstract Only; Available from CASI only as part of the entire parent document
The development of knowledge management systems (KMS) demands that knowledge be obtained, produced, shared, regulated,
and leveraged by a steady conglomeration of individuals, processes, information technology applications, and a knowledgesharing
organizational culture. It has been observed that KMS currently underway at most organizations fall into three categories:
educational, problem-solving systems, and knowledge repositories - which constitute the majority of the KMS in place. Educational
KMS are used to elicit and catalog tacit knowledge, and simultaneously serve as educational tools. Problem-solving KMS
are used by organizations with significant intellectual capital that require eliciting and capturing knowledge for reuse in order to
solve new problems as well as recurring problems, based on experience gained from solving previous problems. Knowledge
repositories, include repositories of organizational knowledge that exists in explicit form (e.g. system to store marketing-oriented
documents), less structured databases of employees’ insights and observations (e.g. ”discussion databases” or ”lessons-learned
systems”) and repositories that attempt to manage organizational knowledge by holding pointers to experts who possess specific
knowledge within an organization. The latter category of KMS has been referred to in the literature as Knowledge Yellow Pages
or People-Finder systems. This paper discusses the development of two examples of such people-finder KMS, the Searchable
Answer Generating Environment (SAGE) and the Expert Seeker KMS. SAGE is a KMS used to identify experts in the Florida
State University System (SUS). Currently, each Florida State University maintains information concerning funded research, but
these databases are disparate and disjoint. The SAGE application creates one single web-enabled repository, which can be
searched in a number of ways including Research Topic, Investigator Name, Funding Agency, or University. The Expert Seeker
KMS, currently under development, seeks to help locate intellectual capital within KSC at all educational levels. The application
will store the competencies available within the organization, including items that are typically not captured by Human Resources
applications, for example, past projects that have been completed, patents, and other relevant knowledge. This repository will be
especially useful when organizing cross-functional teams. This application combines and unifies existing data from multiple
sources into one user accessible interface. Expert Seeker allows the identification of a researcher’s expertise within a discipline
and facilitates communication or a point of contact. Insights and lessons-learned gained from the development of these two systems
are discussed. The process of profile-generation, and maintenance is also discussed. Finally, the role of technology in automating
the process of profile-maintenance in order to diminish the impact that self-assessment introduces in the profile generation,
as well as future plans are presented. Additional information is contained in the original.
Author
Human Resources; Information Systems; Problem Solving; Technology Utilization; Knowledge Based Systems; Management Systems
20000066576 Air Force Inst. of Tech., Wright-Patterson AFB, OH USA
The Application of Automatic Identification Technology for Intransit Visibility at Remote Locations
Patterson, Chris B.; Jun. 1999; 87p; In English
Report No.(s): AD-A372334; AFIT/GMO/LAL/99E-11; No Copyright; Avail: CASI; A05, Hardcopy; A01, Microfiche
Air Mobility Command (AMC) is responsible for collecting intransit visibility (ITV) data at remote and austere airfields.
Automatic identification technology (AIT) is emerging as a system for quick and accurate data capture. This paper examines the
application of AIT at remote locations to obtain ITV. Four areas are addressed: processes, training, manning, and equipment.
Obtaining ITV at remote locations is currently a complicated combination of manpower and time intensive processes. AIT is capable
of streamlining these processes by reducing cargo and passenger processing times. Additionally, it provides highly accurate
data. Although AIT offers several significant benefits, the technical nature of AIT equipment requires skilled personnel for setup,
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