1. GTrans: A Collaborative Mixed-Initiative Planner
Trivikram Immaneni
Michael T. Cox
Collaboration and Cognition Lab
Wright State University

2. Research Goals
To present to the user a Planning as goal change metaphor instead of a Search metaphor
To support collaboration between multiple, distributed human users and multiple planning agents
To develop a mixed-initiative collaboration test bed

3. Abstract
GTrans is a distributed application in which multiple, remote agents collaborate to jointly solve a problem. The system allows users to interact with semi-autonomous planning agents and with each other. When solving a given problem, resource constraints often prevent perfect plans from being assembled that achieve all goals. In such cases, users are able to shift resources and to shift the goals themselves so that equilibrium can be achieved to maximize the solutions.

4. Characteristic Features
Mixed-Initiative
Collaboration of human and automated planners
GTrans helps the user to actively participate in the planning process by facilitating goal transformations.
A goal transformation is a minimal movement of goal in a goal space
Collaborative
Multiple, remote users can collaborate to jointly solve a problem
Multiple agents can share/combine resources to solve their individual problems

5. Architecture PRODIGY/AGENT Agent 1 Joint Planning mode PRODIGY/AGENT
Problem
PRODIGY/AGENT
Agent 1
Plan
Domain File
Joint Planning mode
Constraints
Problem
PRODIGY/AGENT
Server
Plan
Agent 2
Domain File
Constraints
Separate Planning mode

6. Components GTrans Server Prodigy/Agent
Coordinates communications between agents
Acts as a repository of shared objects
Prodigy/Agent
PRODIGY is an automated non-linear intelligent planner
Wrapper + PRODIGY
Wrapper is the interface between GTrans User Agent and PRODIGY

7. User Agent and PRODIGY GTrans User Agent PRODIGY Planner Objects
Create Objects
Manipulate Objects
Goals
Create Goals
Transform Goals
PRODIGY Planner
Plan for Problem File
Problem File
PRODIGY
Wrapper

8. GTrans Modes of Operation
Separate Planning Mode
Separate, stand alone planning without access to other Agents’ information
Info-Sharing Mode
An Agent is aware of the problems on which the other Agents in the system are working
Joint Planning Mode
Agents can collaborate to solve a problem