Expert Systems

Expert systems act very similarly to human experts in certain fields. An expert system is software that uses a knowledge base of human expertise for problem solving, or to clarify uncertainties where normally one or more human experts would need to be consulted (1). Expert systems help companies all over the world increase their profit. For example, expert systems helped reduce raw material waste and it also helped increase profits for organizations. There are many types of expert systems and many different organizations throughout the world use them. Some examples of types of expert systems are repair, diagnosis, instruction, interpretation, prediction, monitoring and control, and classification.

An example of an organization that uses expert systems is the United States Army. The United States Army uses an expert system called Knowledge and Information Fusion Exchange. The Knowledge and Information Fusion Exchange expert system consolidates current, relevant irregular warfare data from numerous sources into a central web portal easily accessible by the United States and coalition war fighters anywhere in the world (2). By using this expert system, it makes it easier for the United States Army soldiers to access information on whatever battlefield they are fighting on so they are able to adapt to the new environment quicker. This also helps the military to make better decisions because they are able to make their decisions based on previous choices made by other military engagements.

The knowledge base is a very crucial part of expert systems. A knowledge base is a system of related concepts that enable the computer to approximate human judgment. The main purpose of the knowledge base is to provide the guts of the expert system—the connections between ideas, concepts, and statistical probabilities that allow the reasoning part of the system to perform an accurate evaluation of a potential problem (3). Having this knowledge base makes expert systems different from your everyday software applications. The knowledge base stores all of the information that the expert system uses. There are two ways to make up a knowledge base, which are using rules and using cases. If you are dealing with a knowledge base that involves rules, a statement that links actions to outcomes, then the knowledge base usually suggests certain conclusions. If the knowledge base uses cases, then the expert system is capable of developing a solution to the problem or situation at hand.

Expert systems are very beneficial because they can help any kind of organization and help solve problems and increase the profit brought in by these organizations.



1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expert_system

2. http://usjfcom.dodlive.mil/tag/knowledge-information-fusion-exchange/

3. http://www.ericdigests.org/pre-9220/expert.htm