Science and Technology Analyst's Assistant. Revision

摘要

We describe a research prototype software system named ASTA (Assistant for Science and Technology Analysis) that employs artificial intelligence technology to interpret radar signals and infer the probable nature of the radar system that produces them. Such analyses are of interest, for example, to engineers who wish to reverse-engineer an electronic system. Architecturally, ASTA is a multiple-process consulting expert system operating in a personal workstation environment. It comprises two principal components: an expert system that reasons using knowledge of electronic system design, radar physics, and signal analysis techniques, and a multiform-based user interface that maintains a separate database describing the complete state of interaction with the user, including a simplified user preference model, an interactive help subsystem, and a database of prior (completed or partial) analyses. These two processes are loosely coupled; that is, they operate in strictly separated namespaces, and they communicate using a mixture of synchronous (remote procedure call) and asynchronous (true) message passing. Message-based synchronization techniques are employed to assist in maintaining consistency between the two processes.