AN APPLICATION OF EXPERT SYSTEMS TECHNOLOGY TO BIOLOGICAL IDENTIFICATION
W. D. Atkinson, Alex Gammerman · Taxon · 1987
Summary The computer program, EXPERT KEY, is an application of expert‐systems technology to the problem of biological identification. The user can use easily‐obtained information about an unknown specimen's colour, location, habitat, etc. to minimise the subsequent search through an ordinary dichotomous key. EXPERT KEY uses the Dempster‐Shafer theory of evidence, a method of reasoning with uncertainty, to combine the heuristic rules. Uncertain inference is also used to allow the user to express Jack of certainty about the statements in the key. The system can reduce considerably the number of difficult key couplets which a user has to assess to make an identification. Unlike previous computer programs in this field, EXPERT KEY is aimed at the non‐specialist who may have problems with technical terms and microscopic examination.