User interface design to expert systems based on hierarchical spatial representations

摘要

User interface becomes an important issue as expert systems are introduced in complex real-world applications. Graphical representations of the domain model can often be used as a base of the interface, particularly in domains with strong spatial relationships which can be presented through drawings, plans, or maps. In this paper the interface of an expert system in the area of chemical emergencies management is presented. This interface is based on the Hypermap paradigm, a hypertext-like graphical representation of the accidcent site and a geographical database. User interaction is based on a direct manipulation dialogue. As a result of this work, the usability of the expert system has been considerably increased.