USING MACHINE LEARNING TECHNIQUES IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF MODELS .2. DATA-ANALYSIS WITH RULE INDUCTION

Artificial intelligence and machine learning methods can be used to au tomate the acquisition of ecological knowledge, i.e., automate the con struction of ecological models. This paper describes a particular meth odology of machine learning, called rule induction, and its applicatio n to data analysis in several ecological domains. These include the bi ological classification of British rivers based on bioindicator data, the analysis of the influence of physical and chemical parameters on s elected bioindicator organisms in Slovenian rivers and the biological classification of Slovenian rivers based on physical and chemical para meters as well as bioindicator data. In all three cases, valuable mode ls (knowledge) in the form of rules were extracted from data acquired through environmental monitoring and/or expert interpretation of the a cquired samples. This provides positive evidence for the utility of ma chine learning in ecological modelling. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.