National Science Foundation Phase I Final Report Agent-based Integration of Legacy and Reusable Software Systems Commercial Potential

Technical Summary This Phase I nal report details our agent-based integration (ABI) approach to the construction and maintenance of complex large-scale applications composed of legacy and reusable software systems. In this research, we rst generated a conceptual model of an ABI environment. This model served as the basis for the design and implementation of software prototypes for the ABI software-integration framework, for an encapsulation wrapper that enables a legacy system to function as an agent in the ABI framework, and for a graphical user interface that assists the application developer in creating and maintaining ABI applications. To demonstrate the viability of our approach, we used the prototype ABI software to rapidly construct ABI-STEAM, a parametric-design application composed of previously implemented software systems. Finally, we investigated issues of software-agent reuse using the ABI framework, focusing on the indexing and retrieval of adaptable agents for use in multiple applications. Our Phase I research e orts enabled us to generate a set of research objectives to be addressed in Phase II and to initiate cooperative deployment e orts to expand development of the prototype ABI software to large-scale industrial settings. Based on this research and discussions with potential users, we remain con dent of the substantial commercial potential of the ABI technology. Commercial Potential Commercial and governmental demand for an e ective integration framework for legacy and reusable software systems is both urgent and growing in such varied domains as concurrent engineering, design engineering, medical monitoring and diagnosis, nancial planning, and business-process reengineering. Businesses and government are being pressured to be more productive with fewer resources. By improving the integration of legacy software systems, the substantial investment in these systems can be better utilized to immediately improve productivity. In addition, our ABI technology provides substantial cost savings in the creation of new integrated applications through the development of reusable software agents, whose development and maintenance costs can be amortized over a number of applications. ABI technology will enable businesses and government agencies to immediately use their existing software to its fullest advantage without restricting future growth and change. Discussions with Ford Motor Company and other potential commercial ABI users indicate that support for Phase III development is likely. Blackboard Technology Group intends to aggressively explore commercialization of Phase I and II results. Blackboard Technology Group, Inc.i