Technical Intelligence within ISC (Code 580)

Student Investigator:
Jason D. Waltman
Wittenberg University, Springfield, Ohio -- Junior, Class of 2001, Computer Science

Official Mentor:
Dr. Nigel A. Ziyad
NASA/GSFC, Engineer -- Information Systems, Advanced Architectures and Automation Branch, Code 588.0

Operational Mentor:
Dr. Larry G. Hull
NASA/GSFC, Computer Engineer -- Information Systems, Advanced Architectures and Automation Branch, Code 588.0

Research Objective

The intent of this project is to write a set of information technology bulletins on various topics in computer science. These bulletins are to be placed in a database currently under construction by the TSA (Technology Scanning and Assessment) committee (from Code 588). There are no prior entries in the database, therefore, part of the project’s goal is to determine what type of information is to be used, and the structure and organization of that information. The specific areas of research are not pre-determined.

Significance

The purpose of the TSA database is to provide a source of information on a variety of topics that are of current or future use to NASA/GSFC, and in particular, Code 580. Similar to the idea of reading a summary before actually reading the paper or novel itself, this type of information allows NASA employees the opportunity keep up-to-date on technologies outside their major field, into which they may find themselves entering--either by force or benefit--in the future. By maintaining awareness of research and development in other areas (as well as their own), scientists and engineers are able to adapt more readily to changes within their own field and to use ideas from other fields in their own work. The TSA database will provide a core for experts to find the latest information on their interests, while also giving the less informed a breadth-first look at particular topics. The database may in the future be available to the public, in which case the same advantages will be available to a larger audience, including students and other research facilities.

Technical Aspects

Given a list of possible topics, I chose several that I was either somewhat familiar with, or I had an interest in. Many of the topics fell within the artificial intelligence discipline, but also ranged from programming languages to operating systems. These topics are areas of research that have already been written about--they are not new research areas. The bulletins were written using resources similar to the ones that a college student would use to write a paper for a class. The World Wide Web was the primary source of information for commercial product lists and descriptions, product reviews, and technology overviews. Commercial, government, and personal sites were all evaluated. In addition, Internet databases and repositories such as the Gartner Group services, DataPro, university research sites, theses, and Usenet FAQs were utilized. Books and journal articles from the Goddard library were used to supplement information that was unavailable in the aforementioned resources. When a draft was completed, my mentor and other members of the TSA committee reviewed the report and alerted me to any changes that they felt necessary.

Accomplishments

Quite simply, the accomplishments of the task are the technology bulletins and the bulletin format that evolved during the process. The level of these bulletins ranged from general technology overviews, to proprietary software. This range in turn forced a separate layout for each bulletin level. In general, the bulletins begin with an introduction (if one is needed), provide an overview of the technology or product, followed with a somewhat deeper analysis, and end with brief, related commercial product reviews (if relevant) and links to useful Internet sites. The bulletins I have completed that have been reviewed by the TSA committee include the programming languages Visual Basic (product from Microsoft Corp.), Lisp, and Prolog; Commercial-off-the-Shelf Expert System Development tools; and Real-time Operating Systems. The final bulletin on Handwriting Recognition was only partially complete when the program concluded.