Objectif The objective of ESTEAM was to design and implement an expert system architecture for advice-giving systems. The function of an automatic adviser is to assist an inquirer with a problem. The problem may be ill-defined and the number of potential solutions may be large. In this situation, the adviser can help the inquirer to provide a statement of his or her goals and a description of the problem sufficient for the generation, by the machine, of trial solutions for consideration. The objective of the project was to design and implement an expert system architecture for advice-giving systems. The function of an automatic adviser is to assist and inquirer with a problem. The problem may be ill defined and the number of potential solutions may be large. In this situation, the adviser can help the inquirer to provide a statement of his or her goals and a description of the problem sufficient for the generation, by the machine, of trial solutions for consideration. The architecture was divided into 2 complementary strands: for designing and implementing architectures for heterogeneous distributed advice-giving systems; and methods and tools to model knowledge in advice-giving expert systems. These were a dialogue manager, a problem solver, a cooperative answering agent and a database agent. The main computational problem tackled by the combined cooperative action of the agents was how to manage those complexities of advice-giving that require the integration of knowledge and data from a variety of sources. This was solved by controlling the cooperative functioning of several sources of knowledge by using different representational schemes interpreted by different inference engines. Each knowledge source was considered to be an independent agent, only communicating with other such agents via messages encoding queries and answers. In addition to architectural issues, the dialogue system was provided with the capability for modelling lines of thought of the user, as perceived through the person-machine interaction. A simplified financial investment adviser was constructed to provide a limited example suitable for an application study. Knowledge acquisition was completed, and the capability of pairs of actors to cooperate was tested by processing problems in this domain. A first demonstration showed the integration of the problem solver, the dialogue manager and the database agents. A second demonstration illustrated the integration of the cooperativ e answering agent, the dialogue manager, the rule base management and the database.The architecture was divided into two complementary strands: -The AGES architecture, dealing with concepts and tools for designing and implementing architectures for heterogeneous distributed advice-giving systems. This architecture has been ported from its development environment (TI Explorer) to a Sun/Unix envir onment. -Methods and tools to model knowledge in advice-giving expert systems. These "cooperative agents", which each take control in turn, were a dialogue manager, a problem solver, a cooperative answering agent and a database agent (to ORACLE). The main computational problem tackled by the combined cooperative action of the agents was how to manage those complexities of advice-giving that require the integration of knowledge and data from a variety of sources. This was solved by controlling the cooperative functioning of several sources of knowledge by using different representational schemes interpreted by different inference engines. Each knowledge source was considered to be an independent agent, only communicating with other such agents via messages encoding queries and answers. In addition to architectural issues, the dialogue system was provided with the capability for modelling lines of thought of the user, as perceived through the person-machine interaction. A simplified financial investment adviser was constructed to provide a limited example suitable for an application study. Knowledge acquisition was completed, and the capability of pairs of actors to cooperate was tested by processing problems in this domain. A first demonstration showed the integration of the problem solver, the dialogue manager and the database agents. A second demonstration illustrated the integration of the cooperative answering agent, the dialogue manager, the rule-base management and th e database. Exploitation The major contribution of ESTEAM was the provision of a prototype architecture for heterogeneous distributed advice-giving systems. The results will be exploited internally by the partners for the development of specific applications. Champ scientifique sciences naturellesinformatique et science de l'informationbases de donnéessciences naturellesinformatique et science de l'informationintelligence artificiellesystèmes experts Programme(s) FP1-ESPRIT 1 - European programme (EEC) for research and development in information technologies (ESPRIT), 1984-1988 Thème(s) Data not available Appel à propositions Data not available Régime de financement Data not available Coordinateur CAP GEMINI INNOVATION Adresse 118 rue de tocqueville 75017 Paris France Voir sur la carte Contribution de l’UE Aucune donnée Participants (4) Trier par ordre alphabétique Trier par contribution de l’UE Tout développer Tout réduire Centro Studi e Laboratori Telecomunicazioni SpA Italie Contribution de l’UE € 0,00 Adresse Via g. reiss romoli, 274 10148 Torino Voir sur la carte Liens Site web Opens in new window Autres sources de financement Aucune donnée Office National d'Études et de Recherches Aérospatiales (ONERA) France Contribution de l’UE € 0,00 Adresse 2 avenue édouard-belin 31055 Toulouse Voir sur la carte Autres sources de financement Aucune donnée PHILIPS SA Belgique Contribution de l’UE € 0,00 Adresse Av. albert einstein 1348 Louvain-la-neuve Voir sur la carte Autres sources de financement Aucune donnée Politecnico di Milano Italie Contribution de l’UE € 0,00 Adresse Piazza leonardo da vinci 32 20133 Milano Voir sur la carte Autres sources de financement Aucune donnée
