AppBuilder for DSSTools: an application development environment for developing decision support systems in Prolog

A programming environment for developing complex decision support systems ( DSSs) should support rapid prototyping and modular design, feature a flexib le knowledge representation scheme and sound inference mechanisms, provide project management, and be domain-independent. We have previously developed DSSTools (Decision Support System Tools), a reusable, domain-independent, and open-ended toolkit for developing DSSs in Prolog. DSSTools provides mod ular design, a flexible knowledge representation scheme, and sound inferenc e mechanisms to support development of any knowledge based system component s of a DSS. It also provides tools for building the DSS interface and for i ntegrating other non-Prolog components of a DSS such as simulation models, databases, or geographical information system, into a multi-component DSS. DSSTools does not provide project management, and its complex syntax makes rapid prototyping difficult. AppBuilder for DSSTools is a GUI-based applica tion development environment for developing DSSs in DSSTools that supports rapid prototyping and project management. AppBuilder's easy-to-use dialogue s for managing and building knowledge based and top-level control component s of a DSS free developers from having to memorize complex syntax and reduc e development time without sacrificing the flexibility of the underlying to olkit. AppBuilder has been used to develop the Regeneration DSS, a system f or predicting the regeneration of southern Appalachian hardwoods. AppBuilde r is an application development environment for both prototyping and develo ping a complete DSS. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.