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DE RUEHPG #0123/01 0641400
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R 051400Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY PRAGUE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1183
INFO RUEKJCS/DOD WASHDC
RHMCSUU/FAA NATIONAL HQ WASHINGTON DC
RUEANAT/NASA WASHDC
RUEHXQ/ALL EUROPEAN UNION POSTS COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS PRAGUE 000123 
 
STATE FOR OES/STC - Eileen Kane 
BUDAPEST FOR ESTH/Camille Hill 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958:  N/A 
TAGS: SENV TSPL ECON AMGT EZ
SUBJECT: CZECH REPUBLIC REQUESTS A SCIENCE FELLOW FOR AGENTFLY 
PROJECT 
 
REF:  STATE 10843 
 
¶1.  In response to reftel, Embassy Prague requests a Science Fellow 
who would work with the Czech Technical University to adapt AGENTFLY 
military project for civilian air traffic control use.  Current 
points of contact for this proposal are ODC/Maj. Matthew Kime, 
KimeMJ@state.gov, 420-257-022-350 and outgoing Economic Officer 
Malgorzata "Margaret" Bula-Duane, Bula-DuaneM@state.gov, 
420-257-022-430.  After June 25, the Econ point of contact will be 
Economic Officer Amanda Mansour, MansourAJ@state.gov, 
420-257-022-020/430.  Econ Chief Mike Dixon, DixonMS@state.gov, 
420-257-022-319 can also answer questions during the transition 
period. 
 
--------------------------- 
AGENTFLY Project Background 
--------------------------- 
 
¶2.  AGENTFLY is a software prototype of multi-agent technology 
deployment in aerial vehicles air traffic control supporting the 
free flight concept.  All aerial assets in AGENTFLY are modeled as 
asset containers hosting multiple intelligent software agents.  Each 
container is responsible for its own flight operation.  The 
operation of each vehicle is specified by an unlimited number of 
time-specific, geographical waypoints.  The operation is tentatively 
planned before take-off without consideration of possible collisions 
with other flying objects. During the flight performance, the 
software agents hosted by the asset containers detect possible 
collisions and engage in peer-to-peer negotiation aimed at 
sophisticated re-planning in order to avoid the collisions.  The aim 
of this agent deployment is to demonstrate readiness of multi-agent 
technology for distributed, flexible, and collision-free 
coordination among heterogeneous, autonomous aerial assets (manned 
as well as unmanned) with a potential to (i) fly a higher number of 
aircraft, (ii) decrease requirements for off-board control operators 
and (iii) allow a flexible combination of cooperative and 
non-cooperative collision avoidance. Please see 
http://agents.felk.cvut.cz/projects/ for further details.  Its 
applications have dual civil and defense uses. 
¶3.  The Department of Defense tri-service research laboratories and 
NASA have contributed approximately $1.8 million in basic research 
grant money to Agent Fly since the Czech Republic joined NATO in 
¶1999.  On September 30, 2008 the Federal Aviation Administration 
signed a 15 month contract with the Department of Cybernetics, Czech 
Technical University to develop a prototype which adapts Agent Fly 
for civilian air traffic control.  Academic institutions in the US 
like Carnegie Mellon and the Applied Communications and Information 
Networking (ANCIN) Program at Drexel University have established 
partnerships with the Czech Technical University to support the 
development of the Agent Fly prototype.  On October 16, 2008 the 
Office of Congressman Robert E. Andrews contacted the Office of 
Defense Cooperation to lend its support to Drexel University and 
expressed the Congressman's interest in the development of the Agent 
Fly prototype. 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
Science Fellow Qualifications and Security Clearance 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
¶4.  A successful Science Fellow should be a scientist holding a PhD 
in Information Communications Technology or a closely related field. 
 The fellow should be knowledgeable of related work being performed 
in the United States by the Federal Aviation Administration or 
academic institutions like Carnegie Mellon and Drexel University, 
for example.  Czech language skills are not required as all work 
shall be conducted in the English language.  The fellow should have 
experience working for or with U.S. Government research laboratories 
or scientific research entities that perform work under contract for 
U.S. Government agencies.  The fellow should be empowered to 
represent the interests of their government agency or academic 
institution and to speak on its behalf. 
 
¶5.  At a minimum, a SECRET security clearance is desired for the 
work so that the fellow can attend meetings and coordinate with 
representatives of Department of Defense research laboratories, the 
Federal Aviation Administration, and other appropriate U.S. 
Government entities. 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
Scope of Work:  From Military to Civilian Use 
--------------------------------------------- 
¶6.  AGENTFLY technology is dual use.  It could be developed to 
improve the safety of commercial air travel that would benefit both 
the United States and the Czech Republic.  The Science Fellow would 
work with the Czech Technical University to develop a prototype 
which adapts Agent Fly for civilian air traffic control.  AGENTFLY 
project would provide: 
 
* distributed model of flight simulation and control, 
* time-constrained way-point flight planning algorithm avoiding 
specified no-flight zones, 
* flexible collision avoidance architecture, dynamic adjustment to 
changes in the flight environment 
* connectors to external data (Landsat images, airports monitors, 
no-flight zones, cities), 
* 2D/3D visualization including a web-client access component, and 
* multiple operator - facilitating real-time control of selected 
assets 
¶7.  AGENTFLY provides four distinct collision avoidance (CA) 
algorithms linked by a flexible mechanism managing the autonomy of 
individual assets and selecting the best collision avoidance 
strategy in real time: 
-- RULE-BASED CA ALGORITHM is a domain dependent algorithm based on 
the Visual Flight Rules defined by FAA2. Upon the collision threat 
detection, the collision type is determined on the basis of the 
angle between the direction vectors of the concerned aircrafts. Each 
collision type has a predefined fixed maneuver which is then applied 
in the re-planning process. Visual flight rule-based changes to 
flight plans are done by both assets independently because the 
second asset detects the possible collision with the first asset 
from its point of view. 
-- UTILITY-BASED CA ALGORITHM deploys multi-agent negotiation 
theories (namely Monotonic Concession Protocol with the Zeuthen 
Strategy) aimed at finding the optimal CA maneuver. The software 
agents on each asset generate a set of viable CA maneuvers and 
compute costs associated with each maneuver (based on e.g. the total 
length of the flight plan, time deviations for mission way-points, 
altitude changes, curvature, flight priority, fuel status, possible 
damage or type of load). The agents negotiate such a combination of 
maneuvers that minimizes their joint cost associated with avoiding 
the collision. 
-- MULTI-PARTY CA ALGORITHM extends the above presented CA algorithm 
by allowing several assets to negotiate about collective CA 
avoidance maneuver. This algorithm minimizes the effects of CA 
maneuvers causing conflicts in future trajectories with other flying 
assets. While requiring more computational resources, this strategy 
has been shown to provide more efficient free-flight collision free 
trajectories. 
-- NON-COOPERATIVE CA ALGORITHM supports collision avoidance in the 
case when communication between aircrafts is not possible. Such a 
situation can arise e.g. when on-board communication devices are 
temporarily unavailable or when an asset avoids a hostile flying 
object. This algorithm is based on modeling/predicting the future 
airspace occupancy of the non-cooperative object and representing it 
in terms of dynamic no-flight zones. Based on this information, the 
algorithm performs continuous re-planning. 
--------- 
Timeframe 
--------- 
 
¶8.  The length of the fellowship should be for a minimum of three 
months to a maximum of one year, starting in the fall or winter 
¶2009. 
 
------------------------ 
Housing and Office Space 
------------------------ 
 
¶9.  The Embassy will provide housing in central Prague out of the 
Embassy's housing pool and logistical support.  The AGENTFLY 
research is being performed by the Department of Cybernetics, Czech 
Technical University in Prague.  The Department as well as the 
University agrees to provide office space and a computer for the 
duration of the fellow's stay.  The primary contact at the 
Department of Cybernetics is the Head of the Agent Technology Group, 
Dr. Michal Pechoucek at telephone 011-420-224-357-355, fax 
011-420-224-923-667, and email pechouc@labe.felk.cvut.cz.  The 
fellow would be working directly with Dr. Pechoucek.  Dr. Pechoucek 
is recognized as one of the top five researchers in the world for 
agent technology.  No in-country travel is envisioned for this 
project. 
 
Thompson-Jones