Method and apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected based on information-theoretic measures

• US 20030023534A1
• Filed: 06/11/2002
• Published: 01/30/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HRL Laboratories LLC (The Boeing Co.)
• Original Assignee: HRL Laboratories LLC (The Boeing Co.)
• Inventors: Kadambe, Shubha
• Granted Patent: US 7,478,071 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/36
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 18/21 Design or setup of recognition systems or techniques; Extraction of features in feature space; Blind source separation
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 99/00 Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and computer program product for determining and assessing information for collection from information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy are presented. Operations include: receiving a partial set of information; performing a minimax entropy-based test to determine a source with useful information; performing a mutual information or a conditional entropy-based test check minimax test validity. With an invalid result, the information source is excluded from further consideration and the minimax test is repeated; with a valid result, a cost/benefit analysis is determines whether to gather the information. If the cost/benefit analysis succeeds, the information is gathered. Otherwise, the information source is excluded and the minimax test is performed again. A consistency check ensures validity of the information prior to restarting the process. Thus, the set of information is iteratively augmented until there is no information to add or until adding information would be cost-prohibitive.

Claims

1. A method for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, the method comprising steps of:

receiving a partial set of information from at least a subset of the information sources for a decision to be made;

performing a minimax entropy-based test to determine an information source from which to next gather information that is most likely to improve the decision accuracy;

performing a check based on a test selected from a group consisting of a mutual information entropy-based test and a conditional entropy-based test to determine whether the minimax entropy-based test generated a valid or an invalid result; and

when the minimax entropy-based test is determined to have generated an invalid result, excluding the information source from the set of information sources to produce a set of remaining information sources, and repeating the minimax entropy-based test on the remaining information sources; and

when the minimax entropy-based test is determined to have generated a valid result, performing a cost/benefit analysis to determine whether the information should be gathered from the information source; and

when the cost/benefit analysis fails, excluding the information source from further consideration and repeating the minimax entropy-based test on the remaining information sources; and

when the cost/benefit analysis succeeds, gathering the information from the information source; and

performing a consistency check to determine the validity of the information gathered from the information source; and

when the consistency check fails, excluding the information source from further consideration and repeating the minimax entropy-based test on the remaining information sources; and

when the consistency check succeeds, gathering the information from the information source and adding the information to the partial set of information to produce an augmented partial set of information, and starting again with the step of performing the minimax entropy-based test on the augmented partial set of information, whereby the partial set of information is iteratively augmented with additional information until there is no further information to add or until adding further information would be cost-prohibitive.

2. A method for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, as set forth in claim 1, wherein the information sources include a plurality of information sources selected from a group consisting of databases, sensors, and user inputs.

3. A method for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, as set forth in claim 2, wherein the information sources include a plurality of sensors, and wherein the sensors are clustered into nodes.

4. A method for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, as set forth in claim 3, wherein the nodes are dormant, and wherein the step of gathering the information activates only the nodes from which information is to be gathered.

5. A method for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, as set forth in claim 4, wherein the nodes are mobile, and wherein in the step of gathering the information, the nodes may move to a location from which the information is to be gathered.

6. A method for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, as set forth in claim 5, wherein the cost/benefit analysis is based a factor including the cost of moving the node from a present position versus the benefit of moving the node to a new location.

7. A method for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, as set forth in claim 6, wherein the nodes are objects selected from a group consisting of satellite nodes, terrestrial nodes, air-based nodes, and aquatic based nodes.

8. A method for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, as set forth in claim 2, wherein the sensors include sensors selected from a group consisting of seismic sensors, temperature sensors, acoustic sensors, infrared sensors, and radar sensors.

9. A method for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, as set forth in claim 8, wherein the sensors are radar sensors, wherein the information gathered is information regarding at least one object, and wherein the method further comprises a step of using the information gathered to determine an object classification for each object about which information was gathered.

10. A method for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 9, wherein the objects to be classified are aircraft.

11. A method for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 10, wherein the wherein the nodes are dormant, and wherein the step of gathering the information activates only the nodes from which information is to be gathered.

12. A method for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, as set forth in claim 2, wherein the sensors provide information regarding routing of network communications in a computer network, and wherein the method further comprises a step of using the information gathered to determine optimal paths for routing signals within the computer network.

13. A method for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 12, wherein the computer network comprises a plurality of computers connected by wireless links, and wherein the sensors provide information regarding routing wireless network communications in the computer network.

14. A method for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, as set forth in claim 2, wherein the information sources provide information for optimizing an investment portfolio, and wherein the method further comprises a step of using the information gathered to provide a recommendation regarding an investment to be made.

15. A method for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 14, wherein the information sources include databases of business-related information.

16. A method for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 2, wherein the sensors provide information regarding processing capabilities of a plurality of data processors in a distributed computing environment and about current processing jobs within the plurality of data processors, and wherein the method further comprises a step of using the information gathered to determine the processors to use for optimal processing of a new processing job.

17. A method for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 2, wherein the information sources are selected from a group consisting of databases of marketing information and market studies to be performed by a user, and wherein the method further comprises a step of using the information gathered to make marketing-related recommendations.

18. A method for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 2, wherein the information sources are medical information sources, and wherein the method further comprises a step of using the medical information gathered to diagnose a medical patient or to recommend a treatment for a medical patient.

19. A method for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 18, wherein the cost /benefit analysis is adjusted based on a factor selected from a group consisting of a patient'"'"'s desires and the seriousness of a possible medical condition.

20. A method for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 18, wherein the user input is the results of specific medical tests performed.

21. A method for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 18, wherein the information gathered from sensors includes the results of automated medical tests.

22. A method for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 2, wherein the sensors monitor manufacturing activities, and wherein the method further comprises a step of using the information gathered to allocate resources in a manufacturing process in order to optimize the use of resources in the manufacturing process.

23. A method for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 2, wherein the information sources are terrorist-related data sources, and wherein the method further comprises a step of using the information gathered to track potential terrorists.

24. A method for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 2, wherein the sensors provide feedback from individual ones of a plurality of engines on a vehicle, and wherein the method further comprises a step of determining which engine or combination of engines to use for a particular maneuver of the vehicle.

25. A method for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 2, wherein the information sources provide information regarding resource allocation on a battlefield, and wherein the method further comprises a step of using the information gathered to make recommendations regarding future resource allocation on the battlefield in order to optimize the use of resources on the battlefield.

26. A method for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 2, where the user input is information to aid in solving a computer problem, and wherein the method further comprises a step of using the information gathered to make recommendations regarding the most likely way to correct the problem.

27. A computer program product for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy the computer program product comprising means, stored on a computer readable medium, for:

receiving a partial set of information from at least a subset of the information sources for a decision to be made;

performing a minimax entropy-based test to determine an information source from which to next gather information that is most likely to improve the decision accuracy;

performing a mutual information entropy-based test to determine whether the minimax entropy-based test generated a valid or an invalid result; and

when the minimax entropy-based test is determined to have generated an invalid result, excluding the information source from the set of information sources to produce a set of remaining information sources, and repeating the minimax entropy-based test on the remaining information sources; and

when the minimax entropy-based test is determined to have generated a valid result, performing a cost/benefit analysis to determine whether the information should be gathered from the information source; and

when the cost/benefit analysis fails, excluding the information source from further consideration and repeating the minimax entropy-based test on the remaining information sources; and

when the cost/benefit analysis succeeds, gathering the information from the information source; and

performing a consistency check to determine the validity of the information gathered from the information source; and

when the consistency check fails, excluding the information source from further consideration and repeating the minimax entropy-based test on the remaining information sources; and

when the consistency check succeeds, gathering the information from the information source and adding the information to the partial set of information to produce an augmented partial set of information, and starting again with the means for performing the minimax entropy-based test on the augmented partial set of information, whereby the partial set of information is iteratively augmented with additional information until there is no further information to add or until adding further information would be cost-prohibitive.

28. A computer program product for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, as set forth in claim 27, wherein the means of the computer program product are configured to receive information from a plurality of information sources selected from a group consisting of databases, sensors, and user inputs.

29. A computer program product for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, as set forth in claim 28, wherein the information sources from which information may be gathered include a plurality of sensors with the sensors clustered into nodes.

30. A computer program product for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, as set forth in claim 29, wherein the nodes are dormant, and wherein the means for gathering the information is configured to activate only the nodes from which information is to be gathered.

31. A computer program product for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, as set forth in claim 30, wherein the nodes are mobile, and wherein the means for gathering the information is configured to assist in directing the nodes to a location from which the information is to be gathered.

32. A computer program product for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, as set forth in claim 31, wherein the cost/benefit analysis is based a factor including the cost of moving the node from a present position versus the benefit of moving the node to a new location.

33. A computer program product for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, as set forth in claim 32, wherein means of the computer program product are configured to operate with nodes that are objects selected from a group consisting of satellite nodes, terrestrial nodes, air-based nodes, and aquatic based nodes.

34. A computer program product for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, as set forth in claim 28, wherein the means of the computer program product are configured for receiving information from sensors selected from a group consisting of seismic sensors, temperature sensors, acoustic sensors, infrared sensors, and radar sensors.

35. A computer program product for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, as set forth in claim 34, wherein the means of the computer program product are configured to receive information from radar sensors, wherein the information gathered is information regarding at least one object, and wherein the computer program product further comprises a means for using the information gathered to determine an object classification for each object about which information was gathered.

36. A computer program product for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 35, wherein the objects to be classified are aircraft.

37. A computer program product for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 36, wherein the wherein the nodes are dormant, and wherein the means for gathering the information activates only the nodes from which information is to be gathered.

38. A computer program product for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, as set forth in claim 28, wherein the means of the computer program product are configured to receive information from sensors that provide information regarding routing of network communications in a computer network, and wherein the computer program product further comprises a means for using the information gathered to determine optimal paths for routing signals within the computer network.

39. A computer program product for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 38, wherein the means of the computer program product are configured to receive information from sensors on a computer network that comprises a plurality of computers connected by wireless links, and wherein the sensors provide information regarding routing wireless network communications in the computer network.

40. A computer program product for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, as set forth in claim 28, wherein the means of the computer program product are configured to receive information from information sources that provide information for optimizing an investment portfolio, and wherein the computer program product further comprises a means for using the information gathered to provide a recommendation regarding an investment to be made.

41. A computer program product for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 40, wherein the means of the computer program product are configured to receive information from databases of business-related information.

42. A computer program product for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 28, wherein the means of the computer program product are configured to receive information from sensors that provide information regarding processing capabilities of a plurality of data processors in a distributed computing environment and about current processing jobs within the plurality of data processors, and wherein the computer program product further comprises a means for using the information gathered to determine the processors to use for optimal processing of a new processing job.

43. A computer program product for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 28, wherein the means of the computer program product are configured to receive information from information sources selected from a group consisting of databases of marketing information and market studies to be performed by a user, and wherein the computer program product further comprises a means for using the information gathered to make marketing-related recommendations.

44. A computer program product for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 28, wherein the means of the computer program product are configured to receive information from medical information sources, and wherein the computer program product further comprises a means for using the medical information gathered to diagnose a medical patient or to recommend a treatment for a medical patient.

45. A computer program product for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 44, wherein the means for performing a cost/benefit analysis is adjusted based on a factor selected from a group consisting of a patient'"'"'s desires and the seriousness of a possible medical condition.

46. A computer program product for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 44, wherein the means of the computer program product are configured to receive information in the form of user input of the results of specific medical tests performed.

47. A computer program product for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 44, wherein the means of the computer program product are configured to receive information gathered from the results of automated medical tests.

48. A computer program product for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 28, wherein the means of the computer program product are configured to receive information from sensors that monitor manufacturing activities, and wherein the computer program product further comprises a means for using the information gathered to allocate resources in a manufacturing process in order to optimize the use of resources in the manufacturing process.

49. A computer program product for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 28, wherein the means of the computer program product are configured to receive information from terrorist-related data sources, and wherein the computer program product further comprises a means for using the information gathered to track potential terrorists.

50. A computer program product for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 28, wherein the means of the computer program product are configured to receive information in the form of feedback from individual ones of a plurality of engines on a vehicle, and wherein the computer program product further comprises a means for determining which engine or combination of engines to use for a particular maneuver of the vehicle.

51. A computer program product for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 28, wherein the means of the computer program product are configured to receive information regarding resource allocation on a battlefield, and wherein the computer program product further comprises a means for using the information gathered to make recommendations regarding future resource allocation on the battlefield in order to optimize the use of resources on the battlefield.

52. A computer program product for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 28, where the means of the computer program product are configured to receive information in the form of user input information to aid in solving a computer problem, and wherein the computer program product further comprises a means for using the information gathered to make recommendations regarding the most likely way to correct the problem.

53. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, the apparatus comprising a computer system including a processor, a memory coupled with the processor, an input coupled with the processor for receiving the information from the information sources, and an output coupled with the processor for outputting an output selected from a group consisting of a recommendation, a decision, and a classification based on the information collected, wherein the computer system further comprises means, residing in its processor and memory, for:

receiving a partial set of information from at least a subset of the information sources for a decision to be made;

performing a minimax entropy-based test to determine an information source from which to next gather information that is most likely to improve the decision accuracy;

performing a check based on a test selected from a group consisting of a mutual information entropy-based test and a conditional entropy-based test to determine whether the minimax entropy-based test generated a valid or an invalid result; and

when the minimax entropy-based test is determined to have generated an invalid result, excluding the information source from the set of information sources to produce a set of remaining information sources, and repeating the minimax entropy-based test on the remaining information sources; and

when the minimax entropy-based test is determined to have generated a valid result, performing a cost/benefit analysis to determine whether the information should be gathered from the information source; and

when the cost/benefit analysis fails, excluding the information source from further consideration and repeating the minimax entropy-based test on the remaining information sources; and

when the cost/benefit analysis succeeds, gathering the information from the information source; and

performing a consistency check to determine the validity of the information gathered from the information source; and

when the consistency check fails, excluding the information source from further consideration and repeating the minimax entropy-based test on the remaining information sources; and

when the consistency check succeeds, gathering the information from the information source and adding the information to the partial set of information to produce an augmented partial set of information, and starting again with the step of performing the minimax entropy-based test on the augmented partial set of information, whereby the partial set of information is iteratively augmented with additional information until there is no further information to add or until adding further information would be cost-prohibitive.

54. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, as set forth in claim 53, wherein the information sources include a plurality of information sources selected from a group consisting of databases, sensors, and user inputs.

55. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, as set forth in claim 54, wherein the information sources include a plurality of sensors, and wherein the sensors are clustered into nodes.

56. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, as set forth in claim 55, wherein the nodes are dormant, and wherein the means for gathering the information activates only the nodes from which information is to be gathered.

57. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, as set forth in claim 56, wherein the nodes are mobile, and wherein in the means for gathering the information, the nodes may move to a location from which the information is to be gathered.

58. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, as set forth in claim 57, wherein the cost/benefit analysis is based a factor including the cost of moving the node from a present position versus the benefit of moving the node to a new location.

59. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, as set forth in claim 58, wherein the nodes are objects selected from a group consisting of satellite nodes, terrestrial nodes, air-based nodes, and aquatic based nodes.

60. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, as set forth in claim 54, wherein the sensors include sensors selected from a group consisting of seismic sensors, temperature sensors, acoustic sensors, infrared sensors, and radar sensors.

61. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, as set forth in claim 60, wherein the sensors are radar sensors, wherein the information gathered is information regarding at least one object, and wherein the apparatus further comprises a means for using the information gathered to determine an object classification for each object about which information was gathered.

62. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 61, wherein the objects to be classified are aircraft.

63. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 62, wherein the wherein the nodes are dormant, and wherein the means for gathering the information activates only the nodes from which information is to be gathered.

64. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, as set forth in claim 54, wherein the sensors provide information regarding routing of network communications in a computer network, and wherein the apparatus further comprises a means for using the information gathered to determine optimal paths for routing signals within the computer network.

65. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 64, wherein the computer network comprises a plurality of computers connected by wireless links, and wherein the sensors provide information regarding routing wireless network communications in the computer network.

66. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, as set forth in claim 54, wherein the information sources provide information for optimizing an investment portfolio, and wherein the apparatus further comprises a means for using the information gathered to provide a recommendation regarding an investment to be made.

67. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 66, wherein the information sources include databases of business-related information.

68. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 54, wherein the sensors provide information regarding processing capabilities of a plurality of data processors in a distributed computing environment and about current processing jobs within the plurality of data processors, and wherein the apparatus further comprises a means for using the information gathered to determine the processors to use for optimal processing of a new processing job.

69. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 54, wherein the information sources are selected from a group consisting of databases of marketing information and market studies to be performed by a user, and wherein the apparatus further comprises a means for using the information gathered to make marketing-related recommendations.

70. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 54, wherein the information sources are medical information sources, and wherein the apparatus further comprises a means for using the medical information gathered to diagnose a medical patient or to recommend a treatment for a medical patient.

71. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 70, wherein the cost/benefit analysis is adjusted based on a factor selected from a group consisting of a patient'"'"'s desires and the seriousness of a possible medical condition.

72. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 70, wherein the user input is the results of specific medical tests performed.

73. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 70, wherein the information gathered from sensors includes the results of automated medical tests.

74. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 54, wherein the sensors monitor manufacturing activities, and wherein the apparatus further comprises a means for using the information gathered to allocate resources in a manufacturing process in order to optimize the use of resources in the manufacturing process.

75. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 54, wherein the information sources are terrorist-related data sources, and wherein the apparatus further comprises a means for using the information gathered to track potential terrorists.

76. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 54, wherein the sensors provide feedback from individual ones of a plurality of engines on a vehicle, and wherein the apparatus further comprises a means for determining which engine or combination of engines to use for a particular maneuver of the vehicle.

77. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 54, wherein the information sources provide information regarding resource allocation on a battlefield, and wherein the apparatus further comprises a means for using the information gathered to make recommendations regarding future resource allocation on the battlefield in order to optimize the use of resources on the battlefield.

78. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 54, where the user input is information to aid in solving a computer problem, and wherein the apparatus further comprises a means for using the information gathered to make recommendations regarding the most likely way to correct the problem.

79. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, the apparatus comprising a plurality information sources and a computer system including a processor, a memory coupled with the processor, an input communicatively coupled with the information source and with the processor for receiving information from the information sources, and an output coupled with the processor for outputting an output selected from a group consisting of a recommendation, a decision, and a classification based on the information collected, wherein the computer system further comprises means, residing in its processor and memory, for:

receiving a partial set of information from at least a subset of the information sources for a decision to be made;

performing a minimax entropy-based test to determine an information source from which to next gather information that is most likely to improve the decision accuracy;

performing a check based on a test selected from a group consisting of a mutual information entropy-based test and a conditional entropy-based test to determine whether the minimax entropy-based test generated a valid or an invalid result; and

when the minimax entropy-based test is determined to have generated an invalid result, excluding the information source from the set of information sources to produce a set of remaining information sources, and repeating the minimax entropy-based test on the remaining information sources; and

when the minimax entropy-based test is determined to have generated a valid result, performing a cost/benefit analysis to determine whether the information should be gathered from the information source; and

when the cost/benefit analysis fails, excluding the information source from further consideration and repeating the minimax entropy-based test on the remaining information sources; and

when the cost/benefit analysis succeeds, gathering the information from the information source; and

performing a consistency check to determine the validity of the information gathered from the information source; and

when the consistency check fails, excluding the information source from further consideration and repeating the minimax entropy-based test on the remaining information sources; and

when the consistency check succeeds, gathering the information from the information source and adding the information to the partial set of information to produce an augmented partial set of information, and starting again with the step of performing the minimax entropy-based test on the augmented partial set of information, whereby the partial set of information is iteratively augmented with additional information until there is no further information to add or until adding further information would be cost-prohibitive.

80. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, as set forth in claim 79, wherein the information sources include a plurality of information sources selected from a group consisting of databases, sensors, and user inputs.

81. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, as set forth in claim 80, wherein the information sources include a plurality of sensors, and wherein the sensors are clustered into nodes.

82. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, as set forth in claim 81, wherein the nodes are dormant, and wherein the means for gathering the information activates only the nodes from which information is to be gathered.

83. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, as set forth in claim 82, wherein the nodes are mobile, and wherein in the means for gathering the information, the nodes may move to a location from which the information is to be gathered.

84. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, as set forth in claim 83, wherein the cost/benefit analysis is based a factor including the cost of moving the node from a present position versus the benefit of moving the node to a new location.

85. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, as set forth in claim 84, wherein the nodes are objects selected from a group consisting of satellite nodes, terrestrial nodes, air-based nodes, and aquatic based nodes.

86. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, as set forth in claim 80, wherein the sensors include sensors selected from a group consisting of seismic sensors, temperature sensors, acoustic sensors, infrared sensors, and radar sensors.

87. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, as set forth in claim 86, wherein the sensors are radar sensors, wherein the information gathered is information regarding at least one object, and wherein the apparatus further comprises a means for using the information gathered to determine an object classification for each object about which information was gathered.

88. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 87, wherein the objects to be classified are aircraft.

89. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 88, wherein the wherein the nodes are dormant, and wherein the means for gathering the information activates only the nodes from which information is to be gathered.

90. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, as set forth in claim 80, wherein the sensors provide information regarding routing of network communications in a computer network, and wherein the apparatus further comprises a means for using the information gathered to determine optimal paths for routing signals within the computer network.

91. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 90, wherein the computer network comprises a plurality of computers connected by wireless links, and wherein the sensors provide information regarding routing wireless network communications in the computer network.

92. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy, as set forth in claim 80, wherein the information sources provide information for optimizing an investment portfolio, and wherein the apparatus further comprises a means for using the information gathered to provide a recommendation regarding an investment to be made.

93. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 92, wherein the information sources include databases of business-related information.

94. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 80, wherein the sensors provide information regarding processing capabilities of a plurality of data processors in a distributed computing environment and about current processing jobs within the plurality of data processors, and wherein the apparatus further comprises a means for using the information gathered to determine the processors to use for optimal processing of a new processing job.

95. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 80, wherein the information sources are selected from a group consisting of databases of marketing information and market studies to be performed by a user, and wherein the apparatus further comprises a means for using the information gathered to make marketing-related recommendations.

96. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 80, wherein the information sources are medical information sources, and wherein the apparatus further comprises a means for using the medical information gathered to diagnose a medical patient or to recommend a treatment for a medical patient.

97. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 96, wherein the cost/benefit analysis is adjusted based on a factor selected from a group consisting of a patient'"'"'s desires and the seriousness of a possible medical condition.

98. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 96, wherein the user input is the results of specific medical tests performed.

99. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 96, wherein the information gathered from sensors includes the results of automated medical tests.

100. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 80, wherein the sensors monitor manufacturing activities, and wherein the apparatus further comprises a means for using the information gathered to allocate resources in a manufacturing process in order to optimize the use of resources in the manufacturing process.

101. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 80, wherein the information sources are terrorist-related data sources, and wherein the apparatus further comprises a means for using the information gathered to track potential terrorists.

102. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 80, wherein the sensors provide feedback from individual ones of a plurality of engines on a vehicle, and wherein the apparatus further comprises a means for determining which engine or combination of engines to use for a particular maneuver of the vehicle.

103. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 80, wherein the information sources provide information regarding resource allocation on a battlefield, and wherein the apparatus further comprises a means for using the information gathered to make recommendations regarding future resource allocation on the battlefield in order to optimize the use of resources on the battlefield.

104. An apparatus for determining and assessing information to be collected from a set of information sources for a desired level of decision accuracy as set forth in claim 80, where the user input is information to aid in solving a computer problem, and wherein the apparatus further comprises a means for using the information gathered to make recommendations regarding the most likely way to correct the problem.