2. What is an ‘Expert system’?
Examples of expert systems
Advantages and disadvantages of
expert systems
3. Shell
What is an ‘Expert system’?
User interface
An expert system is a piece of problem solving software
It differs from other problem solving software in the method it uses
to solve the problem
They generally use a set of rules particular to the field they are based
on to reason, and eventually solve, the problems given to them
Additionally, expert systems are designed in 2 key parts:
Knowledge base, which is made of:
Explanation
Data
Rules
And a ‘Shell’:
Knowledge base
Containing an explanation system
Inference engine
Knowledge base editor
And a user interface
Data
Rules
system
Inference engine
Knowledge base editor
4. Medical diagnosis
Doctors would use the expert system by
inputting the symptoms the patient
has, and the system will check it’s
knowledge base to see what symptoms
match certain illnesses. These will then be
displayed to the doctor as possible
illnesses.
Animal and plant identification
The user answers questions presented by
the system to narrow it’s possible results.
Such question would be:
“Is it most active during the day?”
Eventually, the user will receive results
based on both their input and the
system’s knowledge base.
5. Advantages
Reduces time taken to solve
common issues
Has collaborative knowledge of
experts, so it is more accurate
than a single experts opinion
Can predict future problems the
current one could cause
Disadvantages
Require a lot of resources to set
up:
Experts
Time
Money
Has to be kept up to date or it is
redundant
Staff may need training