Dynamic Analysis and Replanning Tool
Encyclopedia
The Dynamic Analysis and Replanning Tool, commonly abbreviated to DART, is an artificial intelligence
program used by the U.S. military to optimize and schedule the transportation of supplies or personnel and solve other logistical
problems.
DART uses intelligent agent
s to aid decision support systems located at the U.S. and European Transportation Commands. It integrates a set of intelligent data processing agents and database management systems to give planners the ability to rapidly evaluate plans for logistical feasibility. By automating evaluation of these processes DART decreases the cost and time required to implement decisions.
DART achieved logistical solutions that surprised many military planners. Introduced in 1991, DART had by 1995 offset the monetary equivalent of all funds DARPA had channeled into AI research for the previous 30 years combined.
to analyze the feasibility of several intelligent planning systems. In November 1989, a demonstration named The Proud Eagle Exercise indicated many inadequacies and bottlenecks within military support systems. In July, DART was previewed to the military by BBN Systems and Technologies
and the ISX Corporation (now part of Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Laboratories
) in conjunction with the United States Air Force
Rome Laboratory
. Proposed in November 1990, the military immediately demanded that a prototype be developed for testing. Eight weeks later, a hasty but working prototype was introduced in 1991 to the USTRANSCOM at the beginning of Operation Desert Storm during the Gulf War
.
to prepared bases in Saudi Arabia
, in preparation for Desert Storm. DART quickly proved its value by improving upon existing plans of the U.S. military. What surprised many observers was DART's ability to adapt plans rapidly in a crisis environment.
DART's success led to the development of other military planning agents such as:
Artificial intelligence
Artificial intelligence is the intelligence of machines and the branch of computer science that aims to create it. AI textbooks define the field as "the study and design of intelligent agents" where an intelligent agent is a system that perceives its environment and takes actions that maximize its...
program used by the U.S. military to optimize and schedule the transportation of supplies or personnel and solve other logistical
Logistics
Logistics is the management of the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of destination in order to meet the requirements of customers or corporations. Logistics involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, and packaging, and...
problems.
DART uses intelligent agent
Intelligent agent
In artificial intelligence, an intelligent agent is an autonomous entity which observes through sensors and acts upon an environment using actuators and directs its activity towards achieving goals . Intelligent agents may also learn or use knowledge to achieve their goals...
s to aid decision support systems located at the U.S. and European Transportation Commands. It integrates a set of intelligent data processing agents and database management systems to give planners the ability to rapidly evaluate plans for logistical feasibility. By automating evaluation of these processes DART decreases the cost and time required to implement decisions.
DART achieved logistical solutions that surprised many military planners. Introduced in 1991, DART had by 1995 offset the monetary equivalent of all funds DARPA had channeled into AI research for the previous 30 years combined.
Development and introduction
DARPA funded the MITRE Corporation and Carnegie Mellon UniversityCarnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon University is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States....
to analyze the feasibility of several intelligent planning systems. In November 1989, a demonstration named The Proud Eagle Exercise indicated many inadequacies and bottlenecks within military support systems. In July, DART was previewed to the military by BBN Systems and Technologies
BBN Technologies
BBN Technologies is a high-technology company which provides research and development services. BBN is based next to Fresh Pond in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA...
and the ISX Corporation (now part of Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Laboratories
Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Labs
Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Laboratories is a department of Lockheed Martin, in the Electronic Systems business unit, located in Cherry Hill, NJ, with approximately 400 employees. Other locations include Westlake Village, CA, Atlanta, GA, Arlington, VA, and Vienna, VA...
) in conjunction with the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
Rome Laboratory
Rome Laboratory
The Rome Laboratory, formerly known as the Rome Air Development Center, is one of eight research and development labs run by the US Air Force located at Griffiss AFB in Rome, NY. One of four superlabs run by the Air Force, the Rome Lab is tasked with generic research, as opposed to having a...
. Proposed in November 1990, the military immediately demanded that a prototype be developed for testing. Eight weeks later, a hasty but working prototype was introduced in 1991 to the USTRANSCOM at the beginning of Operation Desert Storm during the Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
.
Impact
Directly following its launch, DART solved several logistical nightmares, saving the military millions of dollars. Military planners were aware of the tremendous obstacles facing moving military assets from bases in EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
to prepared bases in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, in preparation for Desert Storm. DART quickly proved its value by improving upon existing plans of the U.S. military. What surprised many observers was DART's ability to adapt plans rapidly in a crisis environment.
DART's success led to the development of other military planning agents such as:
- RDA - Resource Description and Access system
- DPRI - Knowledge-Based Planning and Scheduling Initiative, a successor of DART