Probabilistic Similarity Networks

In this blend of formal theory and practical application, David Heckerman develops methods for building normative expert systems - expert systems that encode knowledge in a decision-theoretic framework.

Heckerman introduces the similarity network and partition, two extensions to the influence diagram representation.

He uses the new representations to construct Pathfinder, a large, normative expert system for the diagnosis of lymph-node diseases.

Heckerman shows that such expert systems can be built efficiently, and that the use of a normative theory as the framework for representing knowledge can dramatically improve the quality of expertise that is delivered to the user.

He concludes with a formal evaluation of the power of his methods for building normative expert systems.