Information Science & Technology

information science & technology

Applied Research Laboratory at Penn State

The Information Science and Technology (IST) Division conducts nationally competitive multi-disciplinary innovative research in information science and technology for conceptualization, design, analysis, deployment, and efficient operation of distributed and intelligent dynamic systems for the DoD, Government, business, and education sectors.

Established in 1997, IST formed the National Information Infrastructure (NII) Testbed, a 10-year university/industry partnership funded by DARPA. The NII Testbed has developed several advanced sensor network and information sharing tools for prognosis and mitigation of material damage in operating machinery.

The IS&T Division also has unique expertise in real-time control and optimization of high performance information driven distributed dynamic systems. Specific applications include mobile networks, distributed robotic systems, heterogeneous sensor based surveillance, geo-informatic decision automation, health monitoring, cybersecurity, and damage mitigation of complex machinery like aircraft engines, power plants, electric grid networks, and distributed command and control of complex missions. New research initiatives have been established in chemical nanosensing technology, bio-informatics, autonomous marine operations, survivable networks and Smart Urban Sensor Networks.

Some of our projects include Engineering Sensor Network Structure for Information Fusion (eSensIF) MURI and Complex Systems Failures MURI (funded by ARO), Reactive Sensor Networks (RSN), Adaptive C2 Coalitions (AC2C), and Emergent Surveillance Plexus (ESP) MURI (funded by DARPA), Geoinformatic Hotspot Analysis (funded by NSF), Dynamic Space-Time Clustering of Multi-source Assets For Early Localization of Mines project, Mobile Ubiquitous Security Environment (MUSE), and Ocean Sampling Mobile Network (SAMON) (funded by ONR).

IST also supports the Defense Information System Agency on the Defense Enterprise Integration Program, conducting research in logistics, computer-based intelligent tutoring, and human performance evaluation.

Currently funded research projects include:

Engineering Sensor Network Structure for Information Fusion (eSensIF) MURI (ARO funded)
Dynamic Space-Time Clustering of Multi-source Assets For Early Localization of Mines project (ONR funded)
Extensible Semantics-Based Service Oriented Architecture (ESBSOA) project (Lockheed Martin Corp funded)
Science of Autonomy (ONR funded)
Tagging, Tracking and Localization (TTL) with bio-metric sensors
Distributed Error-bounded Data Fusion
Survivable Networks

We have had regular success in getting funds under the DURIP programs that have been used to create and enhance a state-of-the-art laboratory with advanced computing, robotics and networking facilities that are extensively used to support our research.

IST Division is organized into three departments: Analytical Modeling, Distributed Systems and Intelligent Control (see TABs).

Chart

The IST Division maintains state-of-the-art testbeds and computing frameworks for prototyping or simulating innovations in wireless mobile robotic networks, sensors and controls, and augmented reality smart spaces.

Information Systems Collaboratory provides the distributed infrastructure for laboratories and testbeds focused on research of dynamic control and coordination of complex interacting processes and distributed decision automata with real-time and/or transient information.
The Mobile Robotics Laboratory emphasizes robotic networking, logical control and interactive behavior to design, implement and test mobile robotics systems for real world applications.
The Sensors and Control Laboratory supports advanced research in sensor fusion, wireless sensor networks, distributed control theory, hierarchical control systems, and hybrid control architectures.
The Augmented Reality Smart Space Laboratory, using sensing, actuation, and distributed processing, brings reality into cyberspace enabling human computer interaction, cybersecurity, environmental monitoring, mobile code, and detection of airborne pathogens.
The Smart Urban Sensors Network Laboratory, using live and virtual sensors collaboratively disseminating their data over wired and wireless networks, provides a testbed for research in network design and control to support improved dynamic sensor fusion for enhanced detection and tracking of critical events in the complex and volatile urban environment.