Teaming on C4ISR Tools
Lexikos is developing a software language resembling English - or more properly, a storage
module based on ISO's topic map standard and AI languages which lets one record and query
metadata that emulates the rules of English vocabulary and grammar forms.
This technology would give a huge boost to future man-machine interfaces because it manages
English-like metadata which can be readily understood by humans, yet efficiently processed
in similar ways by a wide variety of utilities that enable messaging, visualization,
data fusion, planning, and distributed situation awareness.
The potential of this technology far exceeds our reach in both R&D and sales, so we now
seek a larger partner for putting two useful, general NLP modules into active service.
In year one we can lead tool development, but need help on funding, contractual help, and
beta-level design feedback from your staff, who use it for early applications.
In phase 2, joint development starts in earnest,
using and enhancing both modules to create well-selected NLP applications that can learn
domain vocabulary from processing sample texts.
- Proof of Concept: Semantic Lexicon Toolkit
3 mos R&D - $33k plus your costs for selling phases 1-3
- This maps structured text-files into semantic XML metadata meant for
inference engines. When creating RDF, XTM, etc., subject matter experts
get a productivity boost over manual ontology editors of at least 4:1, gained
by using higher-level language notations and web-based specs kept semi-automatically compatible.
- Phase 1: Context Modeling Toolkit
9 mos R&D - $100k plus your costs as contract manager
- Turns WORDS scripts into semantic metadata depicting the associative
data structures of English sentences (case frames) which people use naturally
to communicate. Its discourse-tracking heuristics then merge the metadata
into an ISO-standard semantic net of Java objects.
- Phase 2: Intelligent Message Console
24 man-mos R&D: $600k (half yours) plus contract manager fees
- A prototype handling message traffic
typed in terse, idiosyncratic English, this console can contextually understand it
and help both interacting operators to better track exchanges, then reply or react
appropriately. Configured for specific mission profiles, it also serves as
a useful component of simulation and training exercises.
- Phase 3: Voice I/O Personal Communicator
Final costs TBDL (multiple millions, mostly yours).
- This extends the Console functionality with voice dialog capability. Faster
than typing, this hands-free operation also lets it be used in vehicles or
mobile groups on real or simulated missions. Voice I/O demands much greater
levels of linguistic expertise, accuracy, and pre-deployment R&D work, but MODELER
adds new kinds of linguistic constraints that should boost its practicality.
The main payoff to both firms comes in Phase 3 - a huge effort starting two
years out, which I hope will lead to wide scale deployment of the technology. How you pitch and structure that effort I leave to you. So long as
Lexikos stays involved and gets a fair return, optimizing a venture of that scale and nature is really your business expertise.
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