UNIT.

5
Knowledge based expert systems:

Knowledge-based expert systems are an alternative to more traditional types of computer

program development and application in engineering. The development of a knowledge-based expert
system (KBES) is actually the application of artificial intelligence (Al) techniques designed to reach
the performance level of a human expert in a particular field.
A knowledge-based expert system includes three basic components:
The knowledge-base;
the inference engine; and
the short term memory.
1. The knowledge-base serves as the storage place for the KBES's domain specific knowledge needed
for understanding, formulating, and solving the problem. It contains the facts (database) and rules of
thumb or other knowledge representations (heuristics) that direct the use of knowledge to solve a
problem. The knowledge-base contains permanent facts and rules that an expert uses to derive
conclusions while solving a problem.
2. The inference engine processes the knowledge to solve problems. It receives data about the
problem from the user or from another information system, then uses the contents of the knowledgebase to reach conclusions while aiming to solve the given problem. The reasoning process continues
by using the conclusions as new data which might be used to solve a future problem. The inference
engine represents the brain of the KBES. It is the main component of the KBES. It comprises the
control strategy or the problem solving mechanism used to develop solutions to the users problems.
3. The short term memory (dynamic memory) contains the dynamic or specific knowledge, the user
input, and other information generated by the system. It is also known as the working memory of the
KBES.