On the Validity of Dempster''s Rule of Combination of Evidence

In a seminal paper published in 1967, Dempster has described a rule for combining independent sources of information. More recently, Dempster's rule has been employed as a basis for a mathematical theory of evidence. It is suggested in this note that there is a serious flaw in Dempster's rule which restricts its use in many applications. Computer Science Division, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences and the Electronics Research Laboratory, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720. Research supported by Naval Electronic Systems Command Contract N00039-78-C0013 and National Science Foundation Grant MCS77-07568. ON THE VALIDITY OF DEMPSTER'S RULE OF COMBINATION OF EVIDENCE