An agent-based and market-oriented approach to distributed ISR resource allocation

Dominant trends in emerging Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence (C4I) systems include the widespread availability of global secure communications and open systems interoperability. These trends have encouraged information sharing through the decentralization of the distribution of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) assets and consumers. ISR producer and consumer relationships are now possible across previously closed geographic, system, and service boundaries. While access to ISR products and consumers has improved, little development has gone into global planning and control of ISR assets to suit this new open, distributed environment. We believe that Market-Oriented Programming (MOP) using a distributed agent-based architecture is a good control mechanism for optimally allocating resources for ISR tasks in this new environment. Agent technology will allow MOP to be encapsulated and distributed to ISR consumers and producers allowing for dynamic allocation and distribution of ISR resources. This paper describes a MOP solution to ISR management and an agent architecture used to implement it.