Complex situation analysis system that spawns/creates new brokers using existing brokers as needed to respond to requests for data

• US 8,682,828 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2013
• Issued: 03/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
• Original Assignee: Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
• Inventors: Barrett, Christopher L., Marathe, Madhav V., Bisset, Keith R., Stretz, Paula E.
• Primary Examiner(s): VINCENT, DAVID ROBERT
• Application Number:
  US13/796,284
• Publication Number:
  US 20130191312A1
• Time in Patent Office: 378 Days
• Field of Search: 706/12, 706/45, 706/62
• US Class Current: 706/45
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 17/00 Digital computing or data processing equipment or methods, specially adapted for specific functions information retrieval, database structures or file system structures therefor G06F16/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/02 Knowledge representation; Symbolic representation
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/022 Knowledge engineering; Knowledge acquisition
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/00 Commerce

Abstract

Systems, methods, and computer-readable media for generating a data set are provided. One method includes generating a data set based on input data using a plurality of brokers. The method further includes receiving a request from a user and determining whether the request can be fulfilled using data currently in the data set. When the request can be fulfilled using data currently in the data set, the data is accessed using broker(s) configured to provide access to data within the data set. When the request cannot be fulfilled using data currently in the data set, at least one new broker is spawned using existing broker(s) and additional data needed to fulfill the request is added to the data set using the new broker. The method further includes generating a response to the request using one or more of the plurality of brokers.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

generating, using a computerized analysis system comprising one or more computing devices, a data set based on input data using a plurality of brokers, wherein the data set includes a plurality of entities and is generated using input data from at least two distinct information sources accessible by one or more of the plurality of brokers, and wherein each entity is assigned one or more attributes based on information included in the input data;

receiving, at the computerized analysis system, a request from a user;

determining, at the computerized analysis system, whether the request can be fulfilled using data currently in the data set;

when the request can be fulfilled using data currently in the data set, accessing, at the computerized analysis system, the data using one or more of the plurality of brokers configured to provide access to data within the data set;

when the request cannot be fulfilled using data currently in the data set, spawning, at the computerized analysis system, at least one new broker using one or more existing brokers and adding additional data needed to fulfill the request to the data set using the at least one new broker; and

generating a response to the request using one or more of the plurality of brokers.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the plurality of brokers comprise one or more edge brokers and one or more service brokers, wherein each edge broker is configured to generate responses to requests, wherein each edge broker is further configured to spawn a service broker if the edge broker is unable to fulfill a request using resources to which it has access, and wherein the spawned service broker is configured to spawn at least one additional edge broker to access resources needed to fulfill the request.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein each of the one or more service brokers is configured to be connected to one or more edge brokers, and wherein each service broker is configured to access data from any of the one or more edge brokers with which it is connected, such that information from one of the one or more connected edge brokers is shareable with another of the one or more connected edge brokers by transmitting the information through the service broker.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein at least one of the service brokers is configured to spawn an edge broker that is configured to conduct a simulation when results of the simulation are used to fulfill the request.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of brokers comprises an information exchange, and wherein, when a request cannot be fulfilled using data accessible to a first broker, the first broker transmits a specification describing characteristics of the request to the information exchange of the a second broker, and the second broker responds to the transmitted specification by transmitting results to the information exchange of the first broker.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the data set is separated into a plurality of partitions, and wherein plurality of brokers comprise a first set of one or more service brokers and a second set of one or more service brokers, wherein the first set of one or more service brokers has access to data in a first partition of the plurality of partitions and does not have access to data in a second partition of the plurality of partitions, and wherein the second set of one or more service brokers has access to data in the second partition and does not have access to data in the first partition.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the plurality of brokers comprise a coordination broker configured to coordinate the first set of one or more service brokers and the second set of one or more service brokers to fulfill one or more requests.

8. A system comprising:

at least one computing device operably coupled to at least one memory and configured to;

generate a data set based on input data using a plurality of brokers, wherein the data set includes a plurality of entities and is generated using input data from at least two distinct information sources accessible by one or more of the plurality of brokers, and wherein each entity is assigned one or more attributes based on information included in the input data;

receive a request from a user;

determine whether the request can be fulfilled using data currently in the data set;

when the request can be fulfilled using data currently in the data set, access the data using one or more of the plurality of brokers configured to provide access to data within the data set;

when the request cannot be fulfilled using data currently in the data set, spawn at least one new broker using one or more existing brokers and add additional data needed to fulfill the request to the data set using the at least one new broker; and

generate a response to the request using one or more of the plurality of brokers.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the plurality of brokers comprise one or more edge brokers and one or more service brokers, wherein each edge broker is configured to generate responses to requests, wherein each edge broker is further configured to spawn a service broker if the edge broker is unable to fulfill a request using resources to which it has access, and wherein the spawned service broker is configured to spawn at least one additional edge broker to access resources needed to fulfill the request.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein each of the one or more service brokers is configured to be connected to one or more edge brokers, and wherein each service broker is configured to access data from any of the one or more edge brokers with which it is connected, such that information from one of the one or more connected edge brokers is shareable with another of the one or more connected edge brokers by transmitting the information through the service broker.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein at least one of the service brokers is configured to spawn an edge broker that is configured to conduct a simulation when results of the simulation are used to fulfill the request.

12. The system of claim 8, wherein each of the plurality of brokers comprises an information exchange, and wherein, when a request cannot be fulfilled using data accessible to a first broker, the first broker transmits a specification describing characteristics of the request to the information exchange of the a second broker, and the second broker responds to the transmitted specification by transmitting results to the information exchange of the first broker.

13. The system of claim 8, wherein the data set is separated into a plurality of partitions, and wherein plurality of brokers comprise a first set of one or more service brokers and a second set of one or more service brokers, wherein the first set of one or more service brokers has access to data in a first partition of the plurality of partitions and does not have access to data in a second partition of the plurality of partitions, and wherein the second set of one or more service brokers has access to data in the second partition and does not have access to data in the first partition.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the plurality of brokers comprise a coordination broker configured to coordinate the first set of one or more service brokers and the second set of one or more service brokers to fulfill one or more requests.

15. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform operations comprising:

generating a data set based on input data using a plurality of brokers, wherein the data set includes a plurality of entities and is generated using input data from at least two distinct information sources accessible by one or more of the plurality of brokers, and wherein each entity is assigned one or more attributes based on information included in the input data;

receiving a request from a user;

determining whether the request can be fulfilled using data currently in the data set;

when the request can be fulfilled using data currently in the data set, accessing the data using one or more of the plurality of brokers configured to provide access to data within the data set;

when the request cannot be fulfilled using data currently in the data set, spawning at least one new broker using one or more existing brokers and adding additional data needed to fulfill the request to the data set using the at least one new broker; and

generating a response to the request using one or more of the plurality of brokers.

16. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein the plurality of brokers comprise one or more edge brokers and one or more service brokers, wherein each edge broker is configured to generate responses to requests, wherein each edge broker is further configured to spawn a service broker if the edge broker is unable to fulfill a request using resources to which it has access, and wherein the spawned service broker is configured to spawn at least one additional edge broker to access resources needed to fulfill the request.

17. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 16, wherein each of the one or more service brokers is configured to be connected to one or more edge brokers, and wherein each service broker is configured to access data from any of the one or more edge brokers with which it is connected, such that information from one of the one or more connected edge brokers is shareable with another of the one or more connected edge brokers by transmitting the information through the service broker.

18. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 16, wherein at least one of the service brokers is configured to spawn an edge broker that is configured to conduct a simulation when results of the simulation are used to fulfill the request.

19. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein each of the plurality of brokers comprises an information exchange, and wherein, when a request cannot be fulfilled using data accessible to a first broker, the first broker transmits a specification describing characteristics of the request to the information exchange of the a second broker, and the second broker responds to the transmitted specification by transmitting results to the information exchange of the first broker.

20. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 15, wherein the data set is separated into a plurality of partitions, and wherein plurality of brokers comprise a first set of one or more service brokers and a second set of one or more service brokers, wherein the first set of one or more service brokers has access to data in a first partition of the plurality of partitions and does not have access to data in a second partition of the plurality of partitions, and wherein the second set of one or more service brokers has access to data in the second partition and does not have access to data in the first partition.