Adaptive automation: concepts, applications, and design principles

Adaptive automation is apparently a solution to the problems arising from the shortcomings of the more traditional automations. This paper deals with the practical application of adaptive automation to the world of information technology and the revolution it can bring in the ever changing and ever-agile world of business.

Adaptive automation is the technology that can change its mode of operation dynamically. It constitutes of systems in which level of automation or the number of systems operating under this automation can be modified in real time, thus enabling both the user and the system to initiate changes in the level of automation.

Adaptive automation systems can be described as either adaptable or adaptive. Scerbo (2001) has described a taxonomy of adaptive technology. One dimension of this taxonomy concerns the underlying source of flexibility in the system, i.e., whether the information displayed or the functions themselves are flexible. A second dimension addresses how the changes are invoked. In adaptable systems, changes among presentation modes or in the allocation of functions are initiated by the user. By contrast, in adaptive systems both the user and the system can initiate changes in the state of the system."(Mark W. Scerbo)

IMPLEMENTATION OF ADAPTIVE AUTOMATION:

There are different strategies pertaining to the implementation of adaptive automation in the current scenario.

According to one a required task may be split so that the operator and the system can both perform their assigned portion of the task or a task could be transformed into a different format for the convenience of the operator.

An arrangement can be so made that the system switches to automatic mode only during specific tasks or when it detects an emergency situation.

The third approach is the one, which is being widely researched upon, whereby the possibility of triggering the change in modes of automation through psycho-physiological methods is considered.

APPLICATION OF ADAPTIVE AUTOMATION TO INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY:

Adaptive automation is known by many to be the future of the IT industry. The pace at which business continues to grow requires absolute agility on the part of organizations so as to accommodate the changing customer behaviors and piling amounts of data. Not only that but to keep itself updated on the latest technologies and ground breaking inventions it is absolutely essential that the IT industry utilize the sumptuousness offered by adaptive automations.

Data Integration (DI) is an indispensable part of the information infrastructure. It synchronizes all sorts of data, manages ZLE (zero latency enterprise), CRM, business activity monitoring (BAM) etc.

Adaptive DI "similarly entails adapting automatically to ongoing operating environment changes. This means automatically detecting new servers in the environment, determining which ones are available to share workloads in a server-grid arrangement, and seamlessly picking up processing on different servers in the event of server failure." (Harriet Fryman)

Another critical factor Meta data, or "data about data" also contributes to the agility of an enterprise. Without the aid of Meta data it would be practically impossible to make any sense out of the data being processed, which would seem as random bits of information with no relevance or connection whatsoever.

It provides the visibility that could help an organization figure the relation between its assets and processes governing them and thus reduce the risks by implementing reforms and innovations wherever necessary.

REMOVAL OF THE HUMAN FACTOR IN SUPPORT:

As the adaptive automation is brought into the lime light not only will it help decreasing human errors but would also eliminate the unnecessary human intervention.

This technology would itself adapt as its name suggests to the changing data processes, make the necessary changes automatically and thus improve the system's function and agility.

Out ruling the possibility of human errors "fewer systems and solutions will break or unnecessarily slow down. And more changes will be able to be effected without major impacts on systems, users, time capital and personnel budgets. This is because change will revolve around the infrastructure, but the infrastructure will stay "glued-in," adapting to whatever happens around it in terms of new information demands, platforms, standards and users. Moreover, self-adjusting infrastructures will have the ability to learn as they go. This will help ensure their optimal performance, and the enterprise's agility, over time." (Harriet Fryman)

CHANGING Business RULES:

Adaptive integration can make all the difference in business techniques. As the information requirements of consumers increase the complexity of the information sources also increases and this instates the real-time nature of business intelligence.