ICODES: A Multi-Agent System in Practice

This paper describes the Integrated Computerized Deployment System (ICODES) from both an architectural and evolutionary vantage point. First, ICODES is a logistic software application of ship load-planning tools that utilizes intelligent software agents in a human-computer collaborative mode. As an example of a new generation of intelligent military decision-support systems, ICODES includes expert agents with automatic reasoning and analysis capabilities. This is made possible by an internal virtual representation of the load-planning environment, in terms of conveyance and cargo characteristics and the complex relationships that constitute the context within which loadplanning operations are performed. ICODES agents monitor the principal determinants of cargo stowage, including: the placement and segregation requirements for hazardous cargo items; the trim, list, stress, and bending moments of the conveyance structure; the accessibility of stow areas through ramps, cranes, elevators, hatches, and doors; the correct placement of cargo items in respect to fire lanes, no-stow areas, reserved stow areas, and inter-cargo spacing tolerances; and, the accuracy of cargo characteristics (e.g., dimensions, weight, type, and identification codes) relative to standard cargo libraries and associated reference tables. Second, ICODES is a system that has evolved over the past 10 years and is continuing to evolve from a stand-alone application focused on the load-planning of ships to a distributed environment capable of addressing the assembly and planning for any kind of surface or air conveyance. This transition from single domain to multiple domains and from stand-alone to distributed has been made possible by a scalable service-oriented architecture that emphasizes a multi-layered, multi-tiered design approach.