I-X Background Material

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Introduction | I-X Components | I-X Documentation | Downloading and Installing I-X | Applications | More Background


Introduction

I-X is a multi-faceted research programme whose goal is to produce a well-founded system that allows humans and computers to cooperate in the creation or modification of some artefact. This artefact may be a plan, a design or a physical entity - in other words, I-X supports synthesis tasks. Beyond this, it can also be used to provide a framework for any collaborative activity.

The I-X research draws on earlier work on O-Plan (Tate et al. 1998; 2000; 2002), <I-N-OVA> (Tate, 1996), the Enterprise Project (Fraser and Tate, 1995; Uschold, et al., 1998) and the Task-Based Process Management Project (Stader, 2000) but seeks to make the framework generic and to clarify terminology, simplify the approach taken, and increase the re-usability and applicability of the core ideas.

The I-X research programme includes the following threads or work areas:

Recommended Reading

Austin Tate, Jeff Dalton, and Stephen Potter: Intelligible Messaging - Activity-oriented Instant Messaging

Abstract: I-X Process Panels are used to support users who are carrying out processes and responding to events in a cooperative working environment. The panels support the tracking of personal or group issues, the planning and execution of activities and the checking of constraints. Panels can be connected to other panels, and also to a range of services, agents and other cooperative working support tools to form part of a framework for activity and process support in an organization. The dynamically changing context in which a user operates is reflected in the options presented. Actual usage indicated the value of adopting an "instant messaging" style of use. An augmented activity-orientated "intelligible messaging" approach is taken in which artificial intelligence planning technology can be deployed in a natural way.

Further Reading: More papers on I-X Technology are available at http://www.aiai.ed.ac.uk/project/ix/documents/contents.html


Introduction | I-X Components | I-X Documentation | Downloading and Installing I-X | Applications | More Background