Habilitation defense : Knowledge Technologies for Problem Solving in Engineering

Habilitation defense : Cecilia ZANNI-MERK

Title : Knowledge Technologies for Problem Solving in Engineering

Team : BFO

Abstract : Conventionally, a knowledge-based system is composed of a fact base and a rule base, on which various types of reasoning can be made. This classical architecture presents several drawbacks (difficulties in eliciting expert tacit knowledge, leading to incomplete elicited models of expertise, among others). One possibility to overcome these drawbacks is the use of Semantic Technologies. Semantic technologies use methods from automatic language processing, machine learning and knowledge representation to build the ontologies and the rules that will enable their implementation. Semantic technologies are also intended to create new meaningful relationships, and therefore new knowledge, based on native or scanned digital information, with different natures and forms. The possibilities offered by semantic technologies include for example, the enrichment of documents with meta-data or the creation of specific linguistic or terminological standards, to facilitate decision making through effective knowledge management. However, decision-making, in order to be effective, must result from analysis and reasoning on this knowledge and should take into account the experience of decision-makers, as well as their expertise. As a consequence, it is necessary to take advantage of the experience acquired from the interventions of human experts when the traditional architecture does not lead to satisfactory results. Taking these ideas into account, this research project is based  on the proposal  of a layered architecture, called KREM (Knowledge, Rules, Experience and Meta-Knowledge), to manage the complexity of developing knowledge-based systems, to address the problems mentioned above and to incorporate the capitalization of experience with the goal of improving decision-making.

The jury is comprised of Thérèse Libourel, professor at the University of Montpellier 2, Rossi Setchi, professor at the University of Cardiff (UK), Edward Szczerbicki, professor at the University of Newcastle (Australie), Paul Bourgine, professor at the Open University (UK), Denis Cavallucci, professor at INSA of Strasbourg, Claudia Frydman, professor at the University of Aix Marseille, Nada Matta, associate professor with habilitation at the Technology University of Troyes and Pierre Collet, professor of the  University of Strasbourg.

The presentation will take place on Thursday november 20th at 2.30pm in room de Dietrich of the INSA of Strasbourg.