Expert systems for planning and controlling physical networks in the water industry

摘要

This paper introduces a project to develop two expert systems for the planning and control of complex physical networks. Undertaken for the Water Industry Expert Systems Club, the project used a conventional software development life-cycle model and a design methodology involving rapid prototyping and paper modelling. Planning and research for the systems, one for procedural planning, the other for operational control, is described in detail. A discussion of methodology includes issues such as knowledge acquisition, software and hardware environment and prototyping. The authors then outline the assessment and user trials of the prototype systems, concluding with an assessment of the project as a whole.