Volume 14, Issue 6
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Volume 14, Issue 6
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| Nov/Dec 2000 | |
| Theme: Intelligent Business Applications, Web Based Expert Systems |
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To Volume 14, Issue 5
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To Volume 15, Issue 1
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Features
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| Automation of Business Rules: Non-Programmatic Representation Joe DiGiovanni advocates automated business rules in a non-programmatic, business analyst-maintainable manner to reduce development costs and simplify maintenance. |
| Web Based Data Management: HTML vs. PDF vs. XML Elizabeth Thede examines three approaches to searching and retrieving documents. |
| AI Languages Provide Software Development Alternatives: Imperative Versus Declarative Alex Ettinger tells you how to select software development tools correctly for each stage of your software project. |
| AI@Work WebFamilies Applies Probabilistic Spreadsheet Analysis to Secure Venture Capital; Web Data Acquisition Appliances: Data Servers Online; Data Mining Identifies and Targets Prospective Buyers: National Household Database for Direct Mail Campaigning. |
| Web-Based Expert Systems are on the Way: Java-Based Web Delivery Dustin Huntington discusses the delivery of efficient expert systems via Java applets for expert advice and problem-solving knowledge. |
| Neural Networks Assist the Financial Auditor: Risk Reduction Going Concern Evaluations Eben Sutton explores the feasability and accuracy of two different models of risk prediction. |
| New Data Mining Industry Standards: Moving from the Monks to the Mainstream Eric Apps overview four current software standards initiatives: Extensible Mark up Language (XML); Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP); Predictive Model Mark up Language (PMML); and Microsoft's OLE DB for data mining and the effect on the next generation DM solutions. |
| Regulars | ||
| Editorial | ||
| Intelligence Files - The Customer is Always Right | by David Blanchard | |
| AI and the Net - Expert Systems at Work - From the Farm to the Grocery Store | by Mary Kroening | |
| The Book Zone - Fuzzy Cluster Analysis and Data Mining: Concepts and Techniques | by Will Dwinnell | |
| Product Updates -----------------------------> | 21 late breaking product announcements from around the world in the fields of: | |
| Business Forecasting | Data Mining | |
| Internet and Web | Expert System Development Tools | |
| Intelligent Portals | Languages | |
| Modeling and Simulation | Neural Networks | |
| Voice and Speech Recognition | Announcements | |
| Training | Users Groups | |
| Product Service Guide - Provides access to information on an entire category of products | ||
| PC AI Blackboard - AI advertisers bulletin board | ||
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Advertiser List for 14.6
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| AI Labs and AIL NewMedia Publishing | Frontier Global Systems | The Mathworks |
| AAAI | IEE | The Modeling Agency |
| AI Developers | Logic Programming Associates | Ward Systems Group Inc |
| Amzi! Inc | Megaputer Intelligence | WizSoft Inc. |
| And Corporation | Modeling Agency | |
| Angoss Software Corporation | NeuroDimension | |
| Applied Logic Systems | PC AI Back Issues | |
| ATTAR Software USA | PC AI Reprints | |
| BioComp | Production Systems Technologies | |
| Cyber Squire | Prolog Development Center | |
| DCI | QMC | |
| Decisioneering | RML | |
| dtSearch | Rule Automation | |
| Exsys Inc | Salford Systems | |
| Exsys Recruiting | StatSoft | |
| Franz, Inc. | The Haley Enterprise |
| Whether the history of Artificial Intelligence (AI) started with the first computer (1941) or an application like the Logic Theorist (Newell and Simon - 1955), serious AI research and development quickly approaches the half century mark (see www.aaai.org/Pathfinder/html/bbhist.html or www.shai.com/ai_general/history.html ). The field of Artificial Intelligence (a term first expressed at the 1956 Dartmouth conference) continues to evolve and innovate. Early work by John McCarthy (Lisp - 1958), the Department of Defense's Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA the forerunner of DARPA - 1963), Edward Feigenbaum (DENDRAL the first expert system - 1965), Alain Colmerauer (Prolog - 1972), Mark Stefik and Peter Friedland (Molgen, the first object-oriented representation of knowledge - 1978), and John Hopfield (Neural Networks - 1982) are among those that led the way. | |
| Much of this work has left the academic halls of research and joined the competitive Information Technology mainstream. Knowledge management, object-oriented development, data mining, and intelligent agents are but a few of the AI fraternity graduates, now gainfully employed in the competitive business world. Almost unnoticed is the extensive contribution that AI research has made to today's computer based society - from the concept of time-sharing (McCarthy), to the window/mouse based GUI (Xerox Parc), to the Internet (DARPA) - AI research has played a key role. | |
| As with any industry, companies and institutions come and go and key players change. In the early years, Minsky, McCarthy, and Feigenbaum, were in turn the leaders. Now technology has advanced and specialized to the point that no single person or institution carries the AI banner. Each technology has its own champions and cheerleaders, whether neural networks, intelligent agents, fuzzy logic, or intelligent web portals - the list goes on. | |
| PC AI began publishing in 1987, witnessing the evolution of these great developments and the innovation of many others. Participating in this dynamic landscape, and wrapping up our 14th year, are both exciting and rewarding. As technologies evolve and change, so do we, focusing on the latest applications of intelligent technology. | |
| We couldn't keep up with the technology deluge without an excellent team of columnists. David Blanchard, our AI industry watchman, surveys the past, present, and future to enlighten us on what's happening in this fast growing industry. David has already reported how many of the original AI companies, long presumed dead, actually survived quite nicely, owing to the very power and flexibility of their AI technology. Our commentator on web AI applications, Mary Kroening, continues to uncover new AI based applications, available at a browser near you. Will Dwinnell, our resident book review editor, searches the world looking for the best books to recommend to our readers. In his free time, he collects assorted pieces of this information and sends it our way in the form of an article. | |
| Intelligent web based applications, risk analysis, business modeling and prediction, rule automation and data mining are all hot topics among the business elite. This issue examines their application to business and finance. The interest in web portals has spurred an interest in web-based expertise and advisors, data acquisition as well as imporved web based data management. Exploring risk analysis, modeling, and prediction we provide two excellent examples: using intelligent risk analysis to support a venture capital business model and reducing risk by improving prediction results through modeling. An intelligent approach to rule automation utilizes business rules without extensive rule programming. Another topic we cover is knowledge management through data mining and the effects new industry standards will play. One company utilizes data mining technology to optimize the results of their target marketing. | |
| We want to thank our readers for bringing us to our 15th year and best wishes for a successful 2001. | |
| Cheers! | |
| Terry Hengl |
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