What is an Expert System?

by Daniel L. Thomas, Univ of Georgia, United States,
Ronald W. McClendon, Univ of Georgia, United States,



Document Type: Proceeding Paper

Part of: Planning Now for Irrigation and Drainage in the 21st Century

Abstract:

Expert systems are probably the predominant area of artificial intelligence (AI) since the technology has a wide degree of application today. Expert systems function primarily on the concept of 'if - then -' rules. For example, if the soil water content for a particular crop is at a critical water level and there is no anticipated rainfall for several days, then irrigate. One of the unique characteristics of expert systems is the ability to arrive at a decision without complete information and then justify the decision. The decision may even have a certainty level associated with it. This paper discusses expert system components including the knowledge base, the inference engine, user interface, and knowledge acuisition, advantages and disadvantages of expert systems.

Subject Headings: Artificial intelligence (AI) | Expert systems | Knowledge-based systems | Water content | Systems engineering | Soil water | Irrigation

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