Jayne Dutra

1
NASA Search A Strategic Deployment
NASA Knowledge Management Conference Gilruth
Center, Johnson Space Center March 3, 2006

• Jayne Dutra
• With Help From Lisa Smith
• Jet Propulsion Laboratory
• California Institute of Technology

2
Agenda For Today

• Overview
• Vision and Technologies
• Semantic Web, Metadata, SOAs
• Goals and Objectives
• Strategy
• NASA Engineering Network (NEN)
• Benefits
• Possible Next Steps

3
Overview

• More data
• More sources and repositories
• More silos (how many passwords do you have?)
• More fragmented information space

Result Search getting harder than ever!
4
JPL Today
Parts Catalogues
Engineering Repositories
Electronic Libraries
What did I call it? Where did I put it? How do I
find it?
Problem Reporting
E-Mail Archives
Financial Data
5
NASA Today
Kennedy
JPL
Johnson
Langley
Goddard
Ames
Marshall
6
NASA and Partners
Kennedy
JPL
Johnson
Langley
Goddard
Ames
Marshall
7
NASA and Other Agencies
Kennedy
JPL
Johnson
Langley
Goddard
Ames
USA
Marshall
Lockheed
8
Knowledge Retrieval
Chances of Finding Needed Information in a
Timely Fashion
9
Knowledge Retrieval
0
10
A Different Paradigm

• But
• what if content
• came to you?

11
Turning Search Upside Down

• Just in time information delivery based on
• Engineering Lifecycle
• Task Analysis
• Associations and relationships
• Agents and electronic subscriptions
• Persistent queries and syndicated content

12
New Technology
From Tim Berners-Lee and the W3C
The Semantic Web is a vision the idea of having
data on the web defined and linked in a way that
it can be used by machines not just for display
purposes, but for automation, integration and
reuse of data across various applications.
http//www.w3.org/2001/sw/
13
New Technology
From Tim Berners-Lee and the W3C
The Semantic Web is a vision the idea of having
data on the web defined and linked in a way that
it can be used by machines not just for display
purposes, but for automation, integration and
reuse of data across various applications.
http//www.w3.org/2001/sw/
14
So, What is the Semantic Web?

• Todays Web is made for people to read and
  understand
• Tomorrows Web will be made for computers to read
  and understand
• Systems will be able to perform transactions
  across applications without human help
• Leverages the vast amount of data accessible on
  the Web for machine processing
• Integration of data sets that are currently
  unlinked using the Web

15
So, What is the Semantic Web?

• Todays Web is made for people to read and
  understand
• Tomorrows Web will be made for computers to read
  and understand
• Systems will be able to perform transactions
  across applications without human help
• Leverages the vast amount of data accessible on
  the Web for machine processing
• Integration of data sets that are currently
  unlinked using the Web

16
Information Building Blocks

• An integrated information architecture made up of
  several components
• Common Metadata Specification
• Core Metadata Specification for JPL Project
  Documentation
• Common language or controlled vocabularies
• By discipline, product, and process, etc. -
  taxonomies
• Knowledge representations including relationships
• Intersecting ontology hubs
• Business Rules for data reconciliation
• You say tomato
• Use new technologies developed for the Semantic
• Web to enable enhanced capability

17
How Does It Work?

• Focused on encoding metadata about Web resources
  into Web pages
• Start with a basic taxonomy of terms and agreed
  upon definitions
• Add relationships and associations, ie ontologies
• Based on knowledge representation languages
• RDF, RDFS (Resource Description Framework)
• OWL (Web Ontology Language)

18
Then What?

• Make content available to delivery mechanisms
  using Service Oriented Architectures
• Data streams presented as services and available
  for consumption by workers in portals and other
  devices

19
Then What?

• Make content available to delivery mechanisms
  using Service Oriented Architectures
• Data streams presented as services and available
  for consumption by workers in portals and other
  devices

Lessons Learned
NEN PORTAL
UDDI Registry WSDL SOAP, etc
PRACA Systems
Source X, Source Y, Etc.
20
But What Goes Where?

• Attributes That Describe People
• An Engineer
• Specialty is Electrical Engineering
• Works on propulsion systems
• Worked on projects X, Y, Z
• Currently working on A
• As a Cog E
• On propulsion subsystem
• Project is in Phase C
• Has published papers on propulsion systems

• Corresponding Facet or POPS Element
• Discipline

21
But What Goes Where?

• Attributes That Describe People
• An Engineer
• Specialty is Electrical Engineering
• Works on propulsion systems
• Worked on projects X, Y, Z
• Currently working on A
• As a Cog E
• On propulsion subsystem
• Project is in Phase C
• Has published papers on propulsion systems

• Corresponding Facet or POPS Element
• Discipline
• Competency

22
But What Goes Where?

• Attributes That Describe People
• An Engineer
• Specialty is Electrical Engineering
• Works on propulsion systems
• Worked on projects X, Y, Z
• Currently working on A
• As a Cog E
• On propulsion subsystem
• Project is in Phase C
• Has published papers on propulsion systems

• Corresponding Facet or POPS Element
• Discipline
• Competency
• Topic or Subject Matter

23
But What Goes Where?

• Attributes That Describe People
• An Engineer
• Specialty is Electrical Engineering
• Works on propulsion systems
• Worked on projects X, Y, Z
• Currently working on A
• As a Cog E
• On propulsion subsystem
• Project is in Phase C
• Has published papers on propulsion systems

• Corresponding Facet or POPS Element
• Discipline
• Competency
• Topic or Subject Matter
• Past Assignments

24
But What Goes Where?

• Attributes That Describe People
• An Engineer
• Specialty is Electrical Engineering
• Works on propulsion systems
• Worked on projects X, Y, Z
• Currently working on A
• As a Cog E
• On propulsion subsystem
• Project is in Phase C
• Has published papers on propulsion systems

• Corresponding Facet or POPS Element
• Discipline
• Competency
• Topic or Subject Matter
• Past Assignments
• Current Assignment

25
But What Goes Where?

• Attributes That Describe People
• An Engineer
• Specialty is Electrical Engineering
• Works on propulsion systems
• Worked on projects X, Y, Z
• Currently working on A
• As a Cog E
• On propulsion subsystem
• Project is in Phase C
• Has published papers on propulsion systems

• Corresponding Facet or POPS Element
• Discipline
• Competency
• Topic or Subject Matter
• Past Assignments
• Current Assignment
• Role

26
But What Goes Where?

• Attributes That Describe People
• An Engineer
• Specialty is Electrical Engineering
• Works on propulsion systems
• Worked on projects X, Y, Z
• Currently working on A
• As a Cog E
• On propulsion subsystem
• Project is in Phase C
• Has published papers on propulsion systems

• Corresponding Facet or POPS Element
• Discipline
• Competency
• Topic or Subject Matter
• Past Assignments
• Current Assignment
• Role
• System/Subsystem

27
But What Goes Where?

• Attributes That Describe People
• An Engineer
• Specialty is Electrical Engineering
• Works on propulsion systems
• Worked on projects X, Y, Z
• Currently working on A
• As a Cog E
• On propulsion subsystem
• Project is in Phase C
• Has published papers on propulsion systems

• Corresponding Facet or POPS Element
• Discipline
• Competency
• Topic or Subject Matter
• Past Assignments
• Current Assignment
• Role
• System/Subsystem
• Project Phase

28
But What Goes Where?

• Attributes That Describe People
• An Engineer
• Specialty is Electrical Engineering
• Works on propulsion systems
• Worked on projects X, Y, Z
• Currently working on A
• As a Cog E
• On propulsion subsystem
• Project is in Phase C
• Has published papers on propulsion systems

• Corresponding Facet or POPS Element
• Discipline
• Competency
• Topic or Subject Matter
• Past Assignments
• Current Assignment
• Role
• System/Subsystem
• Project Phase
• Topic or Subject Matter

29
Matching Attributes for People to Attributes for
Content

• Attributes About People
• Competency/Subject Matter
• Discipline
• Past Task Assignment
• Current Task assignment - Role
• Subsystem
• Task Phase
• Associations to objects as Author

• Attributes About Info Objects
• Objects related to a Competency
• Interest in Subject Matter Areas
• Objects associated with Role
• Information on a Subsystem
• Objects associated with a project phase
• Information on project products
• Information on technologies

People Ontology POPS
Engineering Taxonomy
30
Targeted Content Delivery

• Attributes About Info Objects
• LLIS objects about elec engineering

• Attributes About Info Objects
• Artifacts related to a Competency
• Objects related to Topic Areas
• Objects associated with a Role
• Information on a Subsystem
• Objects associated with a project phase
• Information on project products
• Information on technologies

31
Targeted Content Delivery

• Attributes About Info Objects
• LLIS objects about elec engineering
• LLIS objects about propulsion design

• Attributes About Info Objects
• Products related to a Competency
• Objects related to Topic Areas
• Objects associated with a Role
• Information on a Subsystem
• Objects associated with a project phase
• Information on project products
• Information on technologies

32
Targeted Content Delivery

• Attributes About Info Objects
• LLIS objects about elec engineering
• LLIS objects about propulsion design
• Designs related to team activity

• Attributes About Info Objects
• Products related to a Competency
• Objects related to Topic Areas
• Objects associated with a Role
• Information on a Subsystem
• Objects associated with a project phase
• Information on project products
• Information on technologies

33
Targeted Content Delivery

• Attributes About Info Objects
• LLIS objects about elec engineering
• LLIS objects about propulsion design
• Designs related to team activity
• Anomalies involving propulsion systems

• Attributes About Info Objects
• Products related to a Competency
• Objects related to Topic Areas
• Objects associated with a Role
• Information on a Subsystem
• Objects associated with a project phase
• Information on project products
• Information on technologies

34
Targeted Content Delivery

• Attributes About Info Objects
• LLIS objects about elec engineering
• LLIS objects about propulsion design
• Designs related to team activity
• Anomalies involving propulsion systems
• ECRs related to propulsion system

• Attributes About Info Objects
• Products related to a Competency
• Objects related to Topic Areas
• Objects associated with a Role
• Information on a Subsystem
• Objects associated with a project phase
• Information on project products
• Information on technologies

35
Targeted Content Delivery

• Attributes About Info Objects
• LLIS objects about elec engineering
• LLIS objects about propulsion design
• Designs related to team activity
• Anomalies involving propulsion systems
• ECRs related to propulsion system
• GIDEP alerts about products related to propulsion

• Attributes About Info Objects
• Products related to a Competency
• Objects related to Topic Areas
• Objects associated with a Role
• Information on a Subsystem
• Objects associated with a project phase
• Information on project products
• Information on technologies

36
Targeted Content Delivery

• Attributes About Info Objects
• LLIS objects about elec engineering
• LLIS objects about propulsion design
• Designs related to team activity
• Anomalies involving propulsion systems
• ECRs related to propulsion system
• GIDEP alerts about products related to propulsion
• Published papers on relevant subjects and
  technologies

• Attributes About Info Objects
• Products related to a Competency
• Objects related to Topic Areas
• Objects associated with a Role
• Information on a Subsystem
• Objects associated with a project phase
• Information on project products
• Information on technologies

37
Associations Between Attribute Sets

• Attributes About People
• An Engineer
• Discipline is Electrical Engineering
• Worked on projects X, Y, Z
• Currently working on A as a
• Cog E on propulsion subsystem
• Project is in Phase C
• Has published papers on propulsion systems

• Attributes About Info Objects
• LLIS objects about propulsion systems
• Published papers on relevant subjects and
  technologies
• ECRs related to subsystem
• Information about projects
• Anomalies involving propulsion systems
• GIDEP alerts about products related to propulsion

Web of Knowledge
38
NEN Search Results Screenshot The Beginning!
39

• NEN
• Results
• Clustered
• By
• Collection
• Year
• Directorate
• Organization
• Topic

40
The KM-ness of All This
Making Connections Across Data

• People People
• People Content Objects
• People Process (Engineering Life Cycle)

41
KM End Products

• People People

• Social Networks
• Experts Locators
• Team Collaboration Tools - Portals
• Portals for Communities of Practice

Use Cases PEM I wonder who else has done this
type of work before? I want to hire someone at
a different Center to be my team Cog E since the
work is being done there. Who has the right
skills and experience?
42
KM End Products

• People Content

• Effective Knowledge Discovery
• Robust Knowledge Base
• Targeted Delivery and Transparent Search

Use Cases Manager Id like to see all documents
needed to complete my Certification for Launch
and what state theyre in, no matter where they
are. Scientist Id like to see what types of
data were returned on earlier missions using a
particular instrument to help with the Science
Definition Goals of my new project.
43
KM End Products

• People Process

• Effective Knowledge Discovery
• Smart Work Flows
• Just in Time Content Delivery
• No Search Search

Use Cases Cognizant Engineer Id like to see
all problem failure reports on a sub-system I
designed and flew 5 years ago so I can
incorporate the lessons learned into my current
mission. Id like to see all engineering
rationale documents (Technical IOMs) that pertain
to a particular trade study outcome on a certain
type of mission or subsystem design.
44
NASA Engineering Network

• Leverage the vast knowledge resources of NASA and
  its partners across domains
• Making resources more accessible and useful
• by proactively integrating capabilities
• Rearchitect the way in which lessons learned are
  captured, stored, shared, and learned at NASA
• Embed lessons in processes and tools using
  workflow
• Provide semantic search
• Connect engineers to expertise
• Capture tacit knowledge
• Manage communities of practice
• Provide customizable portals

45
NEN Benefits

• Semantic Search capability will index all NASA
  engineering knowledge
• Helps capture NASA experts tacit knowledge
• Cross-organizational structure and processes of
  tools that break down NASAs silos
• Expertise Location through POPS Semantic Search
• Communities of practice across all key NASA
  engineering disciplines
• Processes that encourage the sharing of lessons
  learned, expertise and experiences
• Tools that support the individualized processes
  and needs of each NASA engineering discipline
• A gold-source reference for all the tools and
  resources available to the NASA engineer

46
Next Steps PRACA Example

• Data Reconciliation
• Metadata Business Rules
• Schema Translation Models
• Ontology Mappings

User or NEN Portal with query request
Unified Engineering Metadata Catalogue
Mapping to Problem Reporting and NASA Taxonomy
KSC Taxonomy
GSFC Taxonomy
JSC Taxonomy
POPS Ontology
KSC PRACA
GSFC SOARS
JSC SR QA
NASA Directory
47
But What About the Legacy Data?

• Tools, frameworks, architectures now available to
  deal with this problem.
• Architecture
• UIMA from IBM
• Tools
• Teragram
• Metatagger
• Inxight
• Many more
• Requirements and market survey done as part of
  this paper

48
UIMA Framework Applied to Teragram Capability
UIMA Collection Readers
UIMA Consumers
UIMA Analysis Engines
Teragram Categorizer
Teragram Content Reader
Unified Engineering Metadata Catalogue

• NASA
• Taxonomies in Teragram Auto-Categorizer
• Teragram Rule-Based Categorizer
• Keywords and Summarization
• Other Techniques

Parsers and Filters
COTS Search Engine
CAS Records
Language Identifiers
Seamark Faceted Navigation
Tokenizer
Iterative Processing
Others
NASA Taxonomies
Teragram Taxonomy Manager
49
Suggested Next Steps
Rinse, lather, repeat!
50
Thanks for your time!

• Jayne.E.Dutra_at_jpl.nasa.gov

51
Back Up Slides

• (Dry Technical Stuff)

52
What Makes a Technology Semantic?
Makes the Web understandable to computer systems

• Has the ability to
• Represent knowledge
• More than just data element definitions
• Expresses data relationships and process
• Richness in statements about a specific knowledge
  domain
• Reason over knowledge to create new knowledge
• Make connections between data that are
  non-explicit
• Deploy a knowledge model for run time
  consideration
• Support disparate, distributed resources
• Ask questions across repositories for integrated
  results

53
NEN Notional Architecture
Center Lessons Learned Agency-wide CAN
system, New Engineering resources
NASA Lessons Learned
Interagency/Aerospace Lessons Learned
Collaborative Tools (NX, Jabber)
Expertise Locator (POPS)
ICE
Competency Management System, NISE LDAP, WIMS
Metasearch
Training
Policies and Procedures
Feedback
Feedback
Advanced Engineering Tools
Document and Data Repositories
NEN
Existing Resources
54
About UIMA
IBMs Unstructured Information Management
Architecture (UIMA) is an architecture and
software framework for creating, discovering,
composing and deploying a broad range of
multi-modal analysis capabilities and integrating
them with search technologies. -UIMA SDK
Users Guide and Reference (August 2005), p. 13
55
UIMA Architecture
56
UIMA Architecture Glossary - I
Aggregate Analysis Engine - An Analysis Engine
that is implemented by configuring a collection
of component Analysis Engines. Analysis Engine -
A program that analyzes artifacts (e.g.
documents) and infers information about them, and
which implements the UIMA Analysis Engine
interface Specification. It does not matter how
the program is built, with what framework or
whether or not it contains component ("sub")
Analysis Engines. Annotator - A software
component that implements the UIMA annotator
interface. Annotators are implemented to produce
and record annotations over regions of an
artifact (e.g., text document, audio, and
video). CAS - The UIMA Common Analysis Structure
is the primary data structure which UIMA analysis
components use to represent and share analysis
results. It contains The artifact.
This is the object being analyzed such as a text
document or audio or video stream. The CAS
projects one or more views of the artifact. Each
view is referred to as a Subject of Analysis.
A type system description indicating
the types, subtypes, and their features.
Analysis metadata "standoff" annotations
describing the artifact or a region of the
artifact An index repository to
support efficient access to and iteration over
the results of analysis. UIMAs
primary interface to this structure is provided
by a class called the Common Analysis System. We
use "CAS" to refer to both the structure and
system. Where the common analysis structure is
used through a different interface, the
particular implementation of the structure is
indicated.
57
UIMA Architecture Glossary - II
CAS Consumer - A component that receives each
CAS in the collection after it has been processed
by an Analysis Engine. The CAS Consumer may then
perform collection-level analysis and construct
an application-specific, aggregate data
structure. Collection Processing Engine -
Performs Collection Processing through the
combination of a Collection Reader, an optional
CAS Initializer, an Analysis Engine, and one or
more CAS Consumers. The Collection Processing
Manager (CPM) manages the execution of the
engine. Collection Processing Manager - A module
in the framework that manages the execution of
collection processing, routing CASs from the
Collection Reader to an Analysis Engine and then
to the CAS Consumers. The CPM provides feedback
such as performance statistics and error
reporting and may implement other features such
as parallelization. Collection Reader - A
component that reads documents from some source,
for example a file system or database. Each
document is returned as a CAS that may then be
processed by Analysis Engines. If the task of
populating a CAS from the document is complex, a
Collection Reader may choose to use a CAS
Initializer for this purpose. UIMA -
Unstructured Information Management Architecture
-UIMA SDK Users Guide and Reference, 8/05