RuleMaster expert systems

RuleMaster expert systems are represented as Radial programs. To build an expert system, domain knowledge is normally entered in two parts a module structure and the bodies of the modules. The structure defines the hierarchical organization of decisions used to solve the problem. The code within each module defines the details of one of these decisions. 

Rule Language (Radial). RuleMaster expert systems are expressed in Radial, a block structured interpreted language with a syntax similar to Pascal and ADA. Radial is a simple, easy-to-learn language which supports the full range of expert system capabilities. 

Function of TOGA. An HSB employee, Richard I. Lowe, is one of the handful of transformer diagnosis experts in the U.S. His rules have been incorporated in an expert system called TOGA, which was built with the RuleMaster expert system building package. 

Programming Skills. One of the first steps in building RuleMaster expert system is creating the module hierarchy for the prototype. This requires skill in top-down design and structiared programming. 

RuleMaster is a general-purpose software package for building and delivering expert systems. Its features include l) knowledge acquisition by inductive learning,... 

Explanation. A user may ask for explanation of the line of reasoning at any time during an expert system consultation. RuleMaster presents explanation as a list of premises and conclusions in English-like text. The explanation describes the execution path which led up to the current conclusion or question. Explanation is presented in proof ordering, which usually differs from the order in which the questions and conclusions were encountered. This is perceived as more relevant and understandable than the time-ordered presentation of fired rules, as is present in most expert system approaches. 

A RuleMaster program may also be set up to be called from another program. By combining several expert systems in this manner, a large application can be modeled as a set of cooperating exi>erts. 

Other applications built with RuleMaster demonstrate additional reasons for building expert systems. 

RuleMaker, a subsystem of RuleMaster, induces rules for all situations from examples that may cover only some of the cases. At the heart of the induction process is the creation of an induction file, which in part includes examples indicating what the expert system should do under different circumstances. Now, in the example above, THE RULES FOR CORRELATING VARIOUS CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL PARAMETERS OF THE HAZARDOUS CHEMICALS TESTED WITH THE PROTECTIVE ABILITY OF THE SELECTED GLOVE MATERIALS ARE NOT KNOWN — THEY WILL HAVE TO BE INDUCED FR04 THE ANALYTICAL DATA. 

It is interesting to correlate these rules with the first rules that were estimated with no help from RuleMaster. These were the rules used to construct the first prototype expert system. GloveAId for non-halogenated aromatic compounds ... 

Expert System for Hazardous Waste Regulations System to help identify appropriate waste regulations (development) Rulemaster Micro P.A. Barrow/Univ. of Alberta 43... 

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