Verification and Validation of Case-Based Prequalification System

The current practice of contractor prequalification is characterized by the reliance on expert judgment and experiential knowledge. Previous studies have identified that the information concerning contractors' attributes consists of both quantitative and qualitative types, while the assessment methods used for appraising qualitative information require a predictive judgment of the experts. Aiming to improve the reliability and fairness of the prequalification decisions, a prototype decision support system based on the case-based reasoning (CBR) approach was developed by the writers. To determine whether CBR approach is appropriate for modeling the contractor prequalification domain, the decision system developed should be verified and validated. The objectives of this paper are to establish a strategy for verifying and validating a CBR system and to report the findings of verification and validation of the prototype system.

[1]  Janet L. Kolodner,et al.  Case-Based Reasoning , 1989, IJCAI 1989.

[2]  Karl Branting,et al.  Case Adaption Using an Incomplete Causal Model , 1995, ICCBR.

[3]  Bruce Marcot,et al.  Testing your knowledge base , 1987 .

[4]  Harold J. Steudel,et al.  A Decision-Table-Based Processor for Checking Completeness and Consistency in Rule-Based Expert Systems , 1987, Int. J. Man Mach. Stud..

[5]  Evangelos Simoudis,et al.  Using case-based retrieval for customer technical support , 1992, IEEE Expert.

[6]  Larry J. Morell.  Use of metaknowledge in the verification of knowledge-based systems , 1988, IEA/AIE '88.

[7]  Paul S. Rosenbloom,et al.  Improving Rule-Based Systems Through Case-Based Reasoning , 1991, AAAI.

[8]  Osman Balci,et al.  Validating Expert System Performance , 1987, IEEE Expert.

[9]  Christopher J. R. Green,et al.  Verification and validation of expert systems , 1991 .

[10]  David B. Leake.  An Indexing Vocabulary for Case-Based Explanation , 1991, AAAI.

[11]  Peter G. Anick.  Integrating natural language processing and information retrieval in a troubleshooting help desk , 1993, IEEE Expert.

[12]  Andrew Kusiak,et al.  Knowledge bases: Integration, verification, and partitioning , 1989 .

[13]  Janos Sztipanovits,et al.  Methodology for testing and validating knowledge bases , 1987 .

[14]  Nigel J. Smith,et al.  A case based reasoning model for contractor prequalification , 1998 .

[15]  I. Watson,et al.  Research and Development in Expert Systems IX: Project management for the evolutionary development of expert systems , 1993 .

[16]  Uma G. Gupta.  Validating and Verifying Knowledge-Based Systems , 1991 .

[17]  Hee-Youn Lee,et al.  Prototype-Based Reasoning: An Integrated Approach to Solving Large Novel Problems , 1991, AAAI.

[18]  Thomas S. Ng,et al.  CP-DSS: Decision support system for contractor prequalification , 1995 .

[19]  Miroslaw J. Skibniewski,et al.  Qualifier-2: Knowledge-Based System for Contractor Prequalification , 1990 .

[20]  Miroslaw J. Skibniewski,et al.  DECISION CRITERIA IN CONTRACTOR PREQUALIFICATION , 1988 .

[21]  Ralph Barletta,et al.  Building a case-based help desk application , 1993, IEEE Expert.

[22]  Richard Alterman,et al.  A FrameWork and an Analysis of Current Proposals for the Case-Based Organization and Representation of Procedural Knowledge , 1993, AAAI.

[23]  David Hinkle,et al.  Applying case-based reasoning to autoclave loading , 1992, IEEE Expert.