Complex situation analysis system using a plurality of brokers that control access to information sources

• US 9,367,805 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2015
• Issued: 06/14/2016
• 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.
• Primary Examiner(s): VINCENT, DAVID ROBERT
• Application Number:
  US14/642,308
• Publication Number:
  US 20150178621A1
• Time in Patent Office: 463 Days
• Field of Search: 706/12, 706/45
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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, by a computerized analysis system comprising one or more processors, one or more first brokers of a plurality of brokers to access a first information source, the one or more first brokers configured to receive requests for first data in the first information source and control access to the first information source to retrieve the first data;

generating, by a computerized analysis system comprising one or more processors, one or more second brokers of the plurality of brokers to access a second information source, the one or more second brokers configured to receive requests for second data in the second information source and control access to the second information source to retrieve the second data;

receiving a plurality of requests; and

generating, by the one or more processors, responses to the plurality of requests using the first data in the first information source accessed by the one or more first brokers and the second data in the second information source accessed by the one or more second brokers;

wherein each of the plurality of brokers comprises an information exchange, and wherein, when at least one of the plurality of requests 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 a second broker, and the second broker responds to the transmitted specification by transmitting results to the information exchange of the first broker.

2. The method of claim 1, the operation of generating the responses comprising accessing the first data and the second data using the one or more first brokers and the one or more second brokers without the first information source communicating directly with the second information source.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising generating a combined data set based on the first data from the first information source and the second data from the second information source.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining whether a first request of the plurality of requests can be fulfilled using data from the first information source or the second information source;

when the first request can be fulfilled using data from the first information source or the second information source, accessing the data using one or more of the first brokers or the second brokers; and

when the first request cannot be fulfilled using data from the first information source or the second information source, spawning at least one new broker using one or more existing brokers and accessing data to fulfill the first request from a third information source using the at least one new broker, spawning the at least one new broker comprising generating the at least one new broker as a newly existing broker.

5. 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, the spawned service broker and additional edge broker comprising newly existing brokers.

6. The method of claim 5, 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.

7. The method of claim 5, 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, the spawned edge broker comprising a newly existing broker.

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

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the plurality of brokers comprise a coordination broker configured to coordinate the one or more first service brokers and the one or more second service brokers to fulfill one or more of the plurality of requests.

10. A system comprising:

at least one processor operably coupled to at least one memory and configured to;

generate one or more first brokers of a plurality of brokers to access a first information source, the one or more first brokers configured to receive requests for first data in the first information source and control access to the first information source to retrieve the first data;

generate one or more second brokers of the plurality of brokers to access a second information source, the one or more second brokers configured to receive requests for second data in the second information source and control access to the second information source to retrieve the second data;

receive a plurality of requests; and

generate responses to the plurality of requests using the first data in the first information source accessed by the one or more first brokers and the second data in the second information source accessed by the one or more second brokers;

wherein the one or more first brokers comprise one or more first service brokers and the one or more second brokers comprise one or more second service brokers, wherein the one or more brokers are configured to access data in a data set having a plurality of partitions, the plurality of partitions comprising the first information source and the second information source, wherein the one or more first service brokers have access to data in the first information source and do not have access to data in the second information source, and wherein the one or more second service brokers have access to data in the second information source and do not have access to data in the first information source.

11. The system of claim 10, the at least one processor configured to access the first data and the second data using the one or more first brokers and the one or more second brokers without the first information source communicating directly with the second information source.

12. The system of claim 10, the at least one processor further configured to:

determine whether a first request of the plurality of requests can be fulfilled using data from the first information source or the second information source;

when the first request can be fulfilled using data from the first information source or the second information source, access the data using one or more of the first brokers or the second brokers; and

when the first request cannot be fulfilled using data from the first information source or the second information source, spawn at least one new broker using one or more existing brokers and accessing data to fulfill the first request from a third information source using the at least one new broker, spawning the at least one new broker comprising generating the at least one new broker as a newly existing broker.

13. The system of claim 10, 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, the spawned service broker and additional edge broker comprising newly existing brokers.

14. The system of claim 13, 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.

15. The system of claim 13, 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, the spawned edge broker comprising a newly existing broker.

16. The system of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of brokers comprises an information exchange, and wherein, when at least one of the plurality of requests 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 a second broker, and the second broker responds to the transmitted specification by transmitting results to the information exchange of the first broker.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the plurality of brokers comprise a coordination broker configured to coordinate the one or more first service brokers and the one or more second service brokers to fulfill one or more requests.

18. 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 one or more first brokers of a plurality of brokers to access a first information source, the one or more first brokers configured to receive requests for first data in the first information source and control access to the first information source to retrieve the first data;

generating one or more second brokers of the plurality of brokers to access a second information source, the one or more second brokers configured to receive requests for second data in the second information source and control access to the second information source to retrieve the second data;

receiving a plurality of requests; and

generating responses to the plurality of requests using the first data in the first information source accessed by the one or more first brokers and the second data in the second information source accessed by the one or more second brokers;

wherein the one or more first brokers comprise one or more first service brokers and the one or more second brokers comprise one or more second service brokers, wherein the one or more brokers are configured to access data in a data set having a plurality of partitions, the plurality of partitions comprising the first information source and the second information source, wherein the one or more first service brokers have access to data in the first information source and do not have access to data in the second information source, and wherein the one or more second service brokers have access to data in the second information source and do not have access to data in the first information source.

19. The one or more computer-readable storage media of claim 18, wherein generating responses to the plurality of requests comprises:

determining whether a first request of the plurality of requests can be fulfilled using data from the first information source or the second information source;

when the first request can be fulfilled using data from the first information source or the second information source, accessing the data using one or more of the first brokers or the second brokers; and

when the first request cannot be fulfilled using data from the first information source or the second information source, spawning at least one new broker using one or more existing brokers and accessing data to fulfill the first request from a third information source using the at least one new broker, spawning the at least one new broker comprising generating the at least one new broker as a newly existing broker.