Expert Systems Overview: Knowledge-based expert systems, or simply expert systems, use human k nowledge to solve problems that

normally would require human intelligence. These expert systems represent the expertise knowle dge as data or rules within the computer. These rules and data can be called upon when needed to solve problems. Books and manu als have a tremendous amount of knowledge but a human has to read and interpret the knowledge for it to be used. Conventional c omputer programs perform tasks using conventional decision-making logic -- containing little knowledge other than the basic algor ithm for solving that specific problem and the necessary boundary conditions. This program knowledge is often embedded as part of the programming code, so that as the knowledge changes, the program has to be changed and then rebuilt. Knowledge-based system s collect the small fragments of human know-how into a knowledge-base which is used to reason through a problem, using the know ledge that is appropriate. A different problem, within the domain of the knowledge-base, can be solved using the same program w ithout reprogramming. The ability of these system to explain the reasoning process through back-traces and to handle levels of co nfidence and uncertainty provides an additional feature that conventional programming don't handle. Most expert systems are developed via specialized software tools called shells. These shells come equipped with an inference mechanism (backward chaining, forward chaining, or both), and require knowledge to be entered according to a specified format (all of which might lead some to categorize OPS5 as a shell). They typically co me with a number of other features, such as tools for writing hypertext, for constructing friendly user interfaces, for manipulat ing lists, strings, and objects, and for interfacing with external programs and databases. These shells qualify as langu ages, although certainly with a narrower range of application than most programming languages. For more detailed information on e xpert system shells, see the "Expert System Shells at Work" series by Schmuller PC AI, (1991, 1992).

An expert system also known as a knowledge based system, is a computer prog

ram that contains some of the subject-specific knowledge of one or more human ex perts. This class of program was first developed by researchers in artificial in telligence during the 1960s and 1970s and applied commercially throughout the 19 80s. The most common form of expert systems is a program made up of a set of rul es that analyze information (usually supplied by the user of the system) about a specific class of problems, as well as providing mathematical analysis of the p roblem(s), and, depending upon their design, recommend a course of user action i n order to implement corrections. It is a system that utilizes what appear to be reasoning capabilities to reach conclusions. A related term is wizard. A wizard is an interactive computer program that helps a user solve a problem. Originally the term wizard was used for programs that c onstruct a database search query based on criteria supplied by the user. However some rule-based expert systems are also called wizards. Other "Wizards" are a s equence of online forms that guide users through a series of choices, such as th e ones which manage the installation of new software on computers, and these are not Expert Systems Advantages of expert systems Expert systems exercise information technology to acquire and utilize human expe rtise. It can be beneficial for organizations that have clear objectives, rules and procedures. Expert systems can: Provide consistent answers for repetitive decisions, processes and tasks Hold and maintain significant levels of information Reduce employee training costs Centralize the decision making process Create efficiencies and reduce time needed to solve problems Combine multiple human expert intelligences Reduce the amount of human errors Give strategic and comparative advantages creating entry barriers to competi tors Review transactions that human experts may overlook Although significantly advantageous to many entities, limitations of expert syst ems may arise through: The lack of human common sense needed in some decision makings The creative responses human experts can respond to in unusual circumstances Domain experts not always being able to explain their logic and reasoning The challenges of automating complex processes The lack of flexibility and ability to adapt to changing environments Not being able to recognize when no answer is available Example of expert systems

Expert systems occupy a type of microworld for example, a model of a ship's h old and its cargo that is self-contained and relatively uncomplicated. For such AI systems every effort is made to incorporate all the information about some narr ow field that an expert (or group of experts) would know, so that a good expert system can often outperform any single human expert. There are many commercial e xpert systems, including programs for medical diagnosis, chemical analysis, cred it authorization, financial management, corporate planning, financial document r outing, oil and mineral prospecting, genetic engineering, automobile design and manufacture, camera lens design, computer installation design, airline schedulin g, cargo placement, and automatic help services for home computer owners. Mineral prospecting Long before the development of writing, humans recognized such distinct mi neral properties such as hardness, cohesiveness, and color (Rapp and Hill, 1998; 113). In fact, mineral prospecting has been a part of human culture for thousan ds of years. Focusing on North America alone, evidence has suggested man to have occupied this land for nearly 12,000 years. The archaeological record has yield ed evidence to suggest man's use of chalcedony, hematite, and other raw material s. Given this record, it is evident that people were selective in their choice o f mineral usage. Minerals have always been valuable to mankind. From the Paleo-Indians to m odern man, we have prospected minerals for survival methods, aesthetic purposes, and economic trade. Humans found that the hardness and cohesiveness of quartz w as valuable in toolmaking and the brilliant colors of minerals, such as hematite , were useful in cave paintings. Following a timeline, from a prehistoric age, w e'll see how our North American ancestors have utilized and prospected selected minerals.

The use of expert systems in Mineral prospecting

Mineral prospecting was discovered to find minerals, medicines, special mechanic s to solve a certain problem which only experts could do.

PROSPECTOR was an expert system for mineral exploration developed by the Sta nford Research Institute. Nine experts contributed their knowledge and expertise . PROSPECTOR used sssss combined structure that incorporated rules and a semanti c network. PROSPECTOR had over 1000 rules.

The user, an exploration geologist, was asked to input the characteristics of a suspected deposit: the geological setting, structures, kinds of rocks and min erals. PROSPECTOR compared these characteristics with models of ore deposits and made an assessment of the suspected mineral deposit. It could also explain the steps it used to reach the conclusion.

Chess games An expert system puts conditions in chess games where it decides what steps t o make and how to win just like a human being. An expert system makes the chess

game more advanced so as the user can compete against it.

The greatest advances have occurred in the field of games playing. The best comp uter chess programs are now capable of beating humans. In May, 1997, an IBM supe r-computer called Deep Blue defeated world chess champion Gary Kasparov in a che ss match. Claude Shannon created a regular chess game under AI using the expert system kno wledge. In 1950, he published a paper on chess-playing machines, which pointed out that a typical chess game involved about 10^120 possible moves (Shannon, 1950). Even if the new von Neumann-type computer could examine one move per microsecond, it would take 3 ( 10^106 years to make its first move.