A decision support system for geotechnical applications

A knowledge-based system shell called 'Confound' has been developed for the production of decision support systems. It was initially used for developi ng a system for conceptual foundation design but has subsequently been used for retaining wall, expansive soil and ground investigation applications. It uses a hierarchical object-oriented knowledge base where each object rep resents a decision in the decision making process. A simple rule-based appr oach is used to provide advice on the suitability of each potential choice, based on project specific information that is provided by the user. Confou nd has the ability to work with incomplete information and uses a system of confidence levels so that the user is aware of the confidence with which e ach piece of advice is given. Conflicting information in areas where knowle dge is poorly defined can also be handled. Confound is designed to leave th e user in full control. It simply provides comments on suitability (with an indication of confidence) and leaves the final decision to the user. (C) 2 001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.