Soft Computing Evaluation Logic

3.10 LSP Software Technology

A scientist studies what is, whereas an engineer creates what never was.

—Theodore von Karman

Professional system evaluation is based on using a variety of software tools. In this chapter we present a short summary of existing software and related publications. The LSP software technology is designed to support three categories of users:

• Professional evaluators
• LSP end users
• LSP administrators

Professional evaluators are decision engineers who prepare and use complex criteria that support acquisition decisions of institutional (corporate, military, governmental, and other) users. Professional evaluators also include students (i.e., those who want to learn evaluation decision methods). LSP end users are those who use already prepared LSP criteria to evaluate, compare and select specific systems. In many cases the end users may be interested in customizing LSP criteria (changing default values of criterion function parameters to better express user’s needs). LSP administrators are software and decision support personnel in charge of maintenance of the LSP project database and LSP software tools. LSP administrators can use all LSP software components as stand‐alone tools. Other users can use the same tools as components (servers) in an integrated system evaluation environment. Most users access LSP evaluation software as a service over the Internet.

The LSP software architecture is summarized in Fig 3.10.1. It consists of core LSP technology, ...