Advances in Case-Based Reasoning

Abstract. This paper presents an overview of the INRECA methodology for building and maintaining CBR applications. This methodology supports the collection and reuse of experience on the systematic development of CBR applications. It is based on the experience factory and the software process modeling approach from software engineering. CBR development experience is documented using software process models and stored in different levels of generality in a three-layered experience base. Up to now, experience from 9 industrial projects enacted by all INRECA II partners has been collected

Similarity Measures for Object-Oriented Case Representations

Object-oriented case representations require approaches for similarity assessment that allow to compare two differently structured objects, in particular, objects belonging to different object classes. Currently, such similarity measures are developed more or less in an ad-hoc fashion. It is mostly unclear, how the structure of an object-oriented case model, e.g., the class hierarchy, influences similarity assessment. Intuitively, it is obvious that the class hierarchy contains knowledge about the similarity of the objects. However, how this knowledge relates to the knowledge that could be represented in similarity measures is not obvious at all. This paper analyzes several situations in which class hierarchies are used in different ways for case modeling and proposes a systematic way of specifying similarity measures for comparing arbitrary objects from the hierarchy. The proposed similarity measures have a clear semantics and are computationally inexpensive to compute at run-time

Knowledge based approach to traceability and maintenance of requirements for information systems

Стаття презентує оріентований на обробку знань підхід до аналізу та управління вимогами щодо інформаційних систем , який інтегрує в собі концепції, розроблені в різних предметних областях, а саме: в системах підтримки користувачів; в системах, що базовані на використанні прецедентів; а також на методах моделювання систем керування технологічними процесами. Цей підхід дозволяє накопичувати як первинні так і подальші системні вимоги в структурованій та доступній формі, а також робить прозорими процеси прийняття проектних рішень та розв’язання проблемних сітуацій.The paper presents a knowledge based approach to requirements analysis and management which integrates concepts developed in different domains, namely that of user support systems, case based reasoning, and process control system modeling. By this approach, initial and changing requirements, design decisions and problem situations during production become transparent and accessible in a systematic fashion. I.e., it leads to a comprehensive knowledge base of all relevant aspects of an information system

Harnessing search engine optimization experience to enhance the visibility of websites

Research has identified that websites can gain an added advantage by getting listed in Search Engine results Pages (SERPs) during search sessions by searchers as SERPS refer targeted traffic to the websites. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) enables websites to become visible in search engines during search sessions for featured products or services. SEO is a complex technique which is directly affected by the ranking algorithms of search engines such as Google. Bearing in mind that Google employs in excess of 200 dynamic ranking factors in its algorithm it can be seen that optimization is not straightforward. Given this complex environment, websites find it difficult to initiate and implement SEO. SEO knowledge and experience gained from optimizing websites in the past is highly valuable and applicable to optimize websites both now and in the future. Therefore the main aim of the research in this thesis is to investigate the problem of optimization of websites using the prior experience gained through the optimization of several case study websites. To facilitate this, novel process models have been designed in order to capture the experience of implementing essential techniques of SEO and to explain the procedure of implementation of fundamental on-page SEO techniques that have been shown previously to yield results (i.e. increases in ranking) for past case study websites. Quantitative experiments and qualitative evaluation were undertaken to verify the efficacy of the novel process models through their application to case study websites. Mixed methods were used in order to answer the research questions, inductive experimental methods to produce, finesse and test the process models and qualitative enquiry through means of a focus group to gather peer review from professionals within the field who had previously been trained and conducted a trial using the process models. Implementation procedures of acknowledged essential on-page SEO techniques were identified from past case study websites, which have been represented in the novel process models designed in the current research and empirically investigated by applying them in the experimental case study websites. These models were applied through quantitative experiments that identified essential on-page SEO techniques which were then implemented in two experimental case study websites as per the procedures represented in the process models. These experiments have yielded positive results, resulting in establishing and/or enhancing the visibility of case study websites in SERPs. Further the implementation procedures of essential on-page SEO techniques were represented in the designed process models and stored in an SEO experience base on the principle of INRECA-II methodology. Results of the focus group suggest that the process models do achieve credible results (i.e. establishing and/or enhancing visibility of websites in SERPs) through their application and are suitable for use by both novices and professionals alike. Overall the results achieved from both the quantitative experiments and qualitative evaluation provide promising support to validate the created knowledge

CBR and MBR techniques: review for an application in the emergencies domain

The purpose of this document is to provide an in-depth analysis of current reasoning engine practice and the integration strategies of Case Based Reasoning and Model Based Reasoning that will be used in the design and development of the RIMSAT system. RIMSAT (Remote Intelligent Management Support and Training) is a European Commission funded project designed to: a.. Provide an innovative, 'intelligent', knowledge based solution aimed at improving the quality of critical decisions b.. Enhance the competencies and responsiveness of individuals and organisations involved in highly complex, safety critical incidents - irrespective of their location. In other words, RIMSAT aims to design and implement a decision support system that using Case Base Reasoning as well as Model Base Reasoning technology is applied in the management of emergency situations. This document is part of a deliverable for RIMSAT project, and although it has been done in close contact with the requirements of the project, it provides an overview wide enough for providing a state of the art in integration strategies between CBR and MBR technologies.Postprint (published version

Artificial intelligence and software engineering: Status and future trends

The disciplines of Artificial Intelligence and Software Engineering have many commonalities. Both deal with modeling real world objects from the real world like business processes, expert knowledge, or process models. This article gives a short overview about these disciplines and describes some current research topics against the background of common points of contact

Situation awareness approach to context-aware case-based decision support.

Context-aware case-based decision support systems (CACBDSS) use the context of users as one of the features for similarity assessment to provide solutions to problems. The combination of a context-aware case-based reasoning (CBR) with general domain knowledge has been shown to improve similarity assessment, solving domain specific problems and problems of uncertain knowledge. Whilst these CBR approaches in context awareness address problems of incomplete data and domain specific problems, future problems that are situation-dependent cannot be anticipated due to lack of data by the CACBDSS to make predictions. Future problems can be predicted through situation awareness (SA), a psychological concept of knowing what is happening around you in order to know the future. The work conducted in this thesis explores the incorporation of SA to CACBDSS. It develops a framework to decouple the interface and underlying data model using an iterative research and design methodology. Two new approaches of using situation awareness to enhance CACBDSS are presented: (1) situation awareness as a problem identification component of CACBDSS (2) situation awareness for both problem identification and solving in CACBDSS. The first approach comprises of two distinct parts; SA, and CBR parts. The SA part understands the problem by using rules to interpret cues from the environment and users. The CBR part uses the knowledge from the SA part to provide solutions. The second approach is a fusion of the two technologies into a single case-based situation awareness (CBSA) model for situation awareness based on experience rather than rule, and problem solving predictions. The CBSA system perceives the users context and the environment and uses them to understand the current situation by retrieving similar past situations. The futures of new situations are predicted through knowledge of the history of similar past situations. Implementation of the two approaches in flow assurance control domain to predict the formation of hydrate shows improvements in both similarity assessment and problem solving predictions compared to CACBDSS without SA. Specifically, the second approach provides an improved decision support in scenarios where there are experienced situations. In the absence of experienced situations, the second approach offers more reliable solutions because of its rule-based capability. The adaptation of the user interface of the approaches to the current situation and the presentation of a reusable sequence of tasks in the situation reduces memory loads on operators. The integrated research-design methodology used in realising these approaches links theory and practice, thinking and doing, achieving practical as well as research objectives. The action research with practitioners provided the understanding of the domain activities, the social settings, resources, and goals of users. The user-centered design process ensures an understanding of the users. The agile development model ensures an iterative work, enables faster development of a functional prototype, which are more easily communicated and tested, thus giving better input for the next iteration

Case Retrieval Nets as a Model for Building Flexible Information Systems

Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wird das Modell der Case Retrieval Netze vorgestellt, das ein Speichermodell für die Phase des Retrievals beim fallbasierten Schliessen darstellt. Dieses Modell lehnt sich an Assoziativspeicher an, insbesondere wird das Retrieval als Rekonstruktion des Falles betrachtet anstatt als eine Suche im traditionellen Sinne. Zwei der wesentlichen Vorteile des Modells sind Effizienz und Flexibilität: Effizienz beschreibt dabei die Fähigkeit, mit grossen Fallbasen umzugehen und dennoch schnell ein Resultat des Retrievals liefern zu können. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit wird dieser Aspekt formal untersucht, das Hauptaugenmerk ist aber eher pragmatisch motiviert insofern als der Retrieval-Prozess so schnell sein sollte, dass der Benutzer möglichst keine Wartezeiten in Kauf nehmen muss. Flexibilität betrifft andererseits die allgemeine Anwendbarkeit des Modells in Bezug auf veränderte Aufgabenstellungen, auf alternative Formen der Fallrepräsentation usw. Hierfür wird das Konzept der Informationsvervollständigung diskutiert, welches insbesondere für die Beschreibung von interaktiven Entscheidungsunterstützungssystemen geeignet ist. Traditionelle Problemlöseverfahren, wie etwa Klassifikation oder Diagnose, können als Spezialfälle von Informationsvervollständigung aufgefasst werden. Das formale Modell der Case Retrieval Netze wird im Detail erläutert und dessen Eigenschaften untersucht. Anschliessend werden einige möglich Erweiterungen beschrieben. Neben diesen theoretischen Aspekten bilden Anwendungen, die mit Hilfe des Case Retrieval Netz Modells erstellt wurden, einen weiteren Schwerpunkt. Diese lassen sich in zwei grosse Richtungen einordnen: intelligente Verkaufsunterstützung für Zwecke des E-Commerce sowie Wissensmanagement auf Basis textueller Dokumente, wobei für letzteres der Aspekt der Wiederbenutzung von Problemlösewissen essentiell ist. Für jedes dieser Gebiete wird eine Anwendung im Detail beschrieben, weitere dienen der Illustration und werden nur kurz erläutert. Zuvor wird allgemein beschrieben, welche Aspekte bei Entwurf und Implementierung eines Informationssystems zu beachten sind, welches das Modell der Case Retrieval Netze nutzt.In this thesis, a specific memory structure is presented that has been developed for the retrieval task in Case-Based Reasoning systems, namely Case Retrieval Nets (CRNs). This model borrows from associative memories in that it suggests to interpret case retrieval as a process of re-constructing a stored case rather than searching for it in the traditional sense. Tow major advantages of this model are efficiency and flexibility: Efficiency, on the one hand, is concerned with the ability to handle large case bases and still deliver retrieval results reasonably fast. In this thesis, a formal investigation of efficiency is included but the main focus is set on a more pragmatic view in the sense that retrieval should, in the ideal case, be fast enough such that for the users of a related system no delay will be noticeable. Flexibility, on the other hand, is related to the general applicability of a case memory depending on the type of task to perform, the representation of cases etc. For this, the concept of information completion is discussed which allows to capture the interactive nature of problem solving methods in particular when they are applied within a decision support system environment. As discussed, information completion, thus, covers more specific problem solving types, such as classification and diagnosis. The formal model of CRNs is presented in detail and its properties are investigated. After that, some possible extensions are described. Besides these more theoretical aspects, a further focus is set on applications that have been developed on the basis of the CRN model. Roughly speaking, two areas of applications can be recognized: electronic commerce applications for which Case-Based Reasoning may provide intelligent sales support, and knowledge management based on textual documents where the reuse of problem solving knowledge plays a crucial role. For each of these areas, a single application is described in full detail and further case studies are listed for illustration purposes. Prior to the details of the applications, a more general framework is presented describing the general design and implementation of an information system that makes uses of the model of CRNs