Next-generation Systems Information Theory

The University of Michigan is home to a new five year, $5.25M, Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI), called: Value-centered information theory for adaptive learning, inference, tracking, and exploitation. Al Hero, R. Jamison and Betty Williams Professor of Engineering, is PI of the MURI, and Prof. Raj Nadakuditi is an investigator on the project.

This program has the goal of laying the foundation for a new systems information theory that applies to both general controlled information gathering and inference systems with mission planning, while accounting for the value of information. This new theory will be applied to current and next-generation sensing systems, which are inundated with diverse and high volumes of data.

The problem of extracting and exploiting the relevant portion of sensor data has been an active area of research for several decades, yet a general solution remains elusive, especially for autonomous and distributed sensing systems. This MURI attempts to generate a comprehensive set of principles for task-specific information gathering and subsequent actions based on that information that can be used to design the next generation of autonomous and adaptive sensing systems.

One of the key components involves the correct assessment of information gathered. This MURI will attempt to take the best of the current approaches, which include physics-based, learning-based, and context-based approaches, and blend them into a systematic analytical framework within which sensors and distributed sensor networks can more effectively operate.

Other institutions included in the MURI are Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Arizona State University, The Ohio State University, University of California, Berkeley, and University of California, Los Angeles.

Please refer to the MURI website for additional information.