Current Activities

The original product for DMS was a software tool for developing rule based solutions to Artificial Intelligence (AI) problems.  This tool, Topsi, was marketed in a number of versions from 1984 to 1989.  In contrast to Lisp based implementations of rule systems that needed large, special-purpose processors at that time, Topsi was designed to run on the emerging spectrum of mini-and micro-computers of the day.  Its original, brute-force approach to pattern matching was updated to use a network flow implementation that resulted in significant performance improvements.

The arrival of Windows™[1] and the difficulty of re-architecting monolithic inference engines into the emerging Windows™[1] machinery put a temporary halt to the development of TOPSI.

Later, DMS, Inc. concentrated on providing consulting services to companies developing systems for AI applications especially in the aviation industry.

While Topsi is no longer actively marketed, it has finally been ported to a stable Windows™ environment and copies will be made available for educational purposes.  Requests for such copies should be addressed to info@dms489.com.

DMS, Inc. is still actively consulting in the aviation industry, developing models of future communications architectures.

Future Directions

TOPSI based Applications

The underlying Topsi mechanism is a public domain language developed at Carnegie-Mellon University called OPS-5. While this language is viewed as passé by the current AI community, some proprietary enhancements to the language have significantly improved its ability to solve difficult problems without an ungainly explosion in rule executions.  The following development efforts are currently under weigh:

1. using Topsi to play Bridge.  Bridge is essentially a rule-based game and an early Topsi implementation of the game is expected to become operational real soon now.  The primary audience for this would be bridge players with serious computer experience and sufficient ego involvement to want to adapt the TOPSI rules to their own style of play.  The underlying rules will remain available to developers.  Currently, Topsi Bridge is a single processor implementation, with the computer playing three hands against the user.  It will make suggestions to the user when asked.
2. We are considering enhancements in which multiple networked processors would share a hand and implement their own versions of the Topsi rules.  
3. We are also considering encapsulating the rule set in an executable form for the more general consumer who is not interested in enhancing the behavior of the system.  This technology was designed for some earlier releases of Topsi, but not implemented in the Windows™[1] versions.

Consulting Services

We intend to expand the current consulting services into the following main areas:

• advising potential users on the implementation of rule-based systems in their proprietary applications;
• recommending software processes suitable for the development of specific products;
• providing legal advice as expert witnesses in matters that relate to software or system performance.

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© 2005 Dynamic Master Systems, Inc.

last updated 2/18/2008 by David Smith