Rule-based algorithms for geographic constraints in a marine knowledge-based system

摘要

A suite of ruled-based algorithms designed to facilitate intelligent interaction with a computer representation of a nautical chart is described. The algorithms were developed for use in a prototype navigational knowledge-based system developed by a UK Science and Engineering Research Council funded research team at Liverpool Polytechnic, UK. The system was designed to provide decision support in the domain of marine navigation by providing the ‘on-watch’ navigator with advice on how best to avoid marine collisions with other vessels and land masses.An important attribute of the system is its ability to take into consideration geographical constraints when it is generating the advice. This is facilitated by the algorithms described. These are considered to be of general interest, as they represent a knowledge-based approach to well tried geographic-information system techniques that have to date been manipulated by the use of nondeclarative methods.