Types of Expert Systems

Expert Systems appear in many varieties. The following classifications of ES are not exclusive: that is, one ES can appear in several categories.

Expert Systems Versus Knowledge-based Systems According to this classification, an Expert System is one whose behavior is so sophisticated that we would call a person who performed in a similar manner an expert. MYCIN and XCON are good examples. Highly trained professionals diagnose blood diseases (MYCIN) and configure complex computing equipment (XCON). These systems truly attempt to emulate the best human experts. In fact, they are currently outperform the experts.

In the commercial word, however, there are systems that can effectively and efficiently perform tasks that do not really need an expert. Such systems are called knowledgebased systems (also known as advisory systems, knowledge systems, intelligent job aid systems, or operational systems).

As an example, let us look at a system that give advice on immunizations recommended for travel abroad. The advice depends on many attributes such as the age, gender, and health of the traveler and the country of destination. One needs to be knowledgeable to give such advice, but one need not be an expert. In this case, practically all the knowledge that relates to this advice is documented in a manual available at most public health departments.

The distinction between the two types may not be so sharp in reality. Many systems involve both documented knowledge and undocumented expertise. Basically it is a matter of how much expertise is included in the systems that classifies them in one category or the other. Knowledge systems can be constructed more quickly and cheaply than expert systems.

Rule-based Expert Systems

Many commercial expert systems are rule based because the technology of rule-based systems is well developed and the development tools can be used by end-users. In such systems the knowledge is represented as a series of production rules (also known as IF-THEN rules). This kind of ES are easier to develop but this knowledge representation is a shallow representation.

Frame-based Expert Systems

In frame-based system, the knowledge is represented as frames, a representation of the object-oriented programming approach.

Hybrid Expert Systems

These systems include several knowledge representation approaches, typically, at a minimum, frames and rules.

Real-time Expert Systems Real-time ES have a strict limit on the systems response time, which must be fast enough to control the process being computerized. In other words, the system always produces a response by the time it is needed.

Ready-made (off-the-shelf) Expert Systems

ES can be developed to meet the particular needs of a user (custom made), or they can be purchased as readymade packages for general use. Ready-made ES are similar to application packages such as project management. Ready-made systems enjoy economy of mass production and therefore are considerably less expensive than customized systems. They also can be used as soon as they are purchased. Unfortunately they are very general in nature, and the advice they render may not be of value to a user involved in a complex situation. However, their popularity increases as their prices decrease and their capability increase.