Introduction to Expert
System Shells
Expert System: a type of computer application
program that makes decisions or solves problems in a particular field,
such as finance or medicine, by using knowledge and analytical rules
defined by experts in the field. Human experts solve problems by using
a combination of factual knowledge and reasoning ability. In an expert
system, these two essentials are contained in two separate but related
components, a knowledge base and an inference engine. The knowledge
base provides facts and rules about the subject, and the inference
engine provides the reasoning ability that enables the expert system
to form conclusions. Expert systems also provide additional tools
in the form of user interfaces and explanation facilities. User interfaces,
as with any application, enable people to form queries, provide information,
and otherwise interact with the system. Explanation facilities, an
intriguing part of expert systems, enable the systems to explain or
justify their conclusions, and they enable developers to check on
the operation of the systems themselves. Expert systems originated
in the |
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1960s; fields in which they are used include
chemistry, geology, medicine, banking and investments, and insurance.
Expert system shells, which have now become
sophisticated Knowledge Based System Development Environments, are
specialized computer languages specifi-cally designed for developing
knowledge-based expert systems. Knowledge based system languages are
typically easy to learn, and intended for use by human experts as
well as professional computer programmers. Not only are they complete
programming languages, they are also fully compliant with all Windows
inter-action protocols and are deployable on hard media, in LAN /
WAN environ-ments, and on the Inter / Intranet.
The First Computerized Tests Using an Expert
System Shell
In 1986, I saw my first expert system shell - 1st Class
Fusion. A brilliant engineer, Will Hapgood, from Raytheon in |
