A prototype knowledge-based system for pavement analysis

Highway engineers have addressed the problem of pavement maintenance by developing remaining life assessment methods based on structural analysis of computer simulations of pavements tested in the field by non-destructive testing devices such as the Falling Weight Deflectometer (FWD). However the methodologies followed have been shown to be unable to provide accurate solutions without undue reliance on the knowledge of the expert engineer who conducts the analysis. A knowledge-based system (KBS) is proposed to "inject" engineering knowledge into the conventional techniques. It has been established on a systematic basis and seeks to cover the variety of the issues which may be encountered in such systems. In its prototype form the system consists of three parts: 1. The finite element analytical program ROSTRA-1. 2. A deductive database. 3. A back-analysis subsystem. The analytical program carries out the analysis of the pavements tested in the field. The deductive database holds the properties of a variety of paving materials and establishes the analytical model. The back-analysis subsystem seeks to perform the tasks required for the analysis of the FWD deflection bowl. To build this system, the POPLOG-Prolog computer language operated under VAX/VMS was selected to work in connection with the analytical program. An evaluation procedure was carried out to investigate the performance characteristics of the prototype system. The results indicated that the POPLOG-Prolog development environment is not the ideal tool for such an application. In addition, it appears unlikely that there is any other development tool available which is markedly more effective than that used. However it is felt that similar functions to those required by the POPLOG-Prolog environment, may be implemented using conventional programming. To permit this, a logical design of a KBS to conduct this task is presented

Tools of the Trade: A Survey of Various Agent Based Modeling Platforms

Agent Based Modeling (ABM) toolkits are as diverse as the community of people who use them. With so many toolkits available, the choice of which one is best suited for a project is left to word of mouth, past experiences in using particular toolkits and toolkit publicity. This is especially troublesome for projects that require specialization. Rather than using toolkits that are the most publicized but are designed for general projects, using this paper, one will be able to choose a toolkit that already exists and that may be built especially for one's particular domain and specialized needs. In this paper, we examine the entire continuum of agent based toolkits. We characterize each based on 5 important characteristics users consider when choosing a toolkit, and then we categorize the characteristics into user-friendly taxonomies that aid in rapid indexing and easy reference.Agent Based Modeling, Individual Based Model, Multi Agent Systems

A Revised Textual Tree Trace Notation for Prolog

This paper describes a ''textual tree trace'' (TTT) notation for representing the execution of Prolog programs. Compact, textual and non-linear, it provides detailed information about variable binding and execution history, and distinguishes several modes of goal failure. The revised form given here, yet to be empirically tested, is partly informed by Paul Mulholland's empirical comparisons of Prolog trace notations, in which an earlier version of the TTT notation was amongst those studied and criticised. The work presented here is an updated version of a previous workshop paper (Taylor, du Boulay, & Patel, 1994)

Logical behaviors

technical reportIn this paper we describe an approach to high-level multisensor integration in t h e context of an autonomous mobile robot. Previous papers have described the development of t h e INRIA mobile robot subsystems: 1. sensor and actuator systems 2. distance and range analysis 3. feature extraction and segmentation 4. motion detection 5. uncertainty management, and 6. 3 -D environment descriptions. We describe here an approach to: ? the semantic analysis of the 3-D environment descriptions

Report on the Workshop held at the University of Leeds on 6 November organised on behalf of the Transport Sub-Committee of the Environment Committee of the Science and Engineering Research Council

The meeting was the second in a series of three; called to review the prospects for future development of the Special Programme in the Application of Information Technology to Transport set up by the Transport Sub-committee of the Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC). The other seminars were: at University College London on Traffic Engineering Applications; held in July 1986; and at the University of Newcastle up Tyne, on Public Transport Information Systems, held in December 1986. The objectives of the workshop were to (i) review current perceptions of and future prospects for the role of expert systems in transport; and (ii) provide such feed-back to the SERC Transport Sub-committee as would assist it in forming a view about future work in this area. (Continues..

Survey of the State and Future Trends of Intelligent Systems

This paper presents an attempt to formalize objective macro model of the field of artificial intelligence (AI). We show that creation of this model is justified, and with the aid of information from World Wide Web it is possible now. With this aim in view, we propose a research method. To obtain a macro model of the artificial intelligence field, we made a survey of research groups in the world, including companies, applications, organizations as well as a general assessment of the state of Al technology. The survey is intended to show some benefits. Intelligent systems are becoming very useful and are starting to achieve many of the projected past promises. Important documents on future trends and roles of intelligent systems have been recently published, as well as interesting surveys in the field. We have assessed several methodologies of research of the state of the art in this field and identified their promises and limitations. Considering the present state of Al technology, research projects, important documents and trends in traditional information technologies, we have made a preliminary model of intelligent systems and their future surveys. In the era of second generation knowledge-based systems and growing complexity of the Al field, we believe that it is necessary to include macro model of Al in all scientific researches and application projects

Report on the Workshop held at the University of Leeds on 6 November organised on behalf of the Transport Sub-Committee of the Environment Committee of the Science and Engineering Research Council

The meeting was the second in a series of three; called to review the prospects for future development of the Special Programme in the Application of Information Technology to Transport set up by the Transport Sub-committee of the Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC). The other seminars were: at University College London on Traffic Engineering Applications; held in July 1986; and at the University of Newcastle up Tyne, on Public Transport Information Systems, held in December 1986. The objectives of the workshop were to (i) review current perceptions of and future prospects for the role of expert systems in transport; and (ii) provide such feed-back to the SERC Transport Sub-committee as would assist it in forming a view about future work in this area. (Continues..