Decision Support Systems

Question 1

What is Data management

Answer 1

it is used to collect and organise the data

Question 2

What is model management

Answer 2

it involves the use of a model to turn data into information.

Question 3

What is dialogue management

Answer 3

It allows the user to enter a request in a convenient manner. It provides the interactivity of DSSs.

Question 4

what is a Geographic information system (GIS for short)

Answer 4

it is an information system that is capable of assembling, storing, manipulating and displaying geographically referenced information.

Question 5

What is “What-if”

Answer 5

it is the process of making changes to the data and observing their effects.

Question 6

what are Expert systems

Answer 6

they are systems that provide information and solve problems that would otherwise require a person experience in that field to do.

Question 7

what are the components of an expert system

Answer 7

The knowledge base and the inference engine

Question 8

What is a knowledge base

Answer 8

The knowledge base is a set of general facts and if-then rules supplied by an expert.

Question 9

what is a nerual network

Answer 9

it is an information system that works like the human brain and is capable of learning.

Question 10

what are Expert system shells

Answer 10

they are ready-made expert systems except that they contain no knowledge.

Question 11

what is the database of facts

Answer 11

is the data that relates to the specific situation being anaysed.

Question 12

what is the difference between a database of facts and a knowledge base

Answer 12

a knowledge base contains data that are more general where as a database of facts would contain data from a specific problem.

Question 13

what is an inference engine

Answer 13

The inference engine is the part of the expert system that carries out the reasoning. It is essentially a rule interpreter whose function is to use the if-then rules of a knowledge base to solve the problem set by the user.

Question 14

what is the explanation mechanisim

Answer 14

it is a method of checking how the expert system inferred its deduction.

Question 15

what are the two main types of inference engines

Answer 15

Forward chaining and backward chaining

Question 16

what is forward chaining

Answer 16

Forward chaining is an inference strategy in which the user supplies all the data before the question is asked or the inference is made. It begins with data and works forward to see if any conclusions can be reached. They are often used when there is no clear goal and the system is just attmeping to determine all of the conclusions implied by the data.

Question 17

What is backward chaining

Answer 17

Backward chaining starts with one or more possible solutions and searches back through the system to determine the questions to be asked. Backward chaining starts with a tentative conclusion and searches back through the rules for the questions or facts that support that conclusion. Backward chaining works in the opposite direction to forward chaining. example is “you are on a healthy diet” and then asks all the questions to ensure the user meets the conditinos.

Question 18

what is fuzzy logic

Answer 18

it describes the vairables that exist between a “true” and a “false”. They may be expressed as probabilities or possibilities.

Question 19

What are intelligent agents

Answer 19

they are pieces of software that are used in data mining to search through relational databases for relevant data.

Question 20

what is a pivot table

Answer 20

it is an interactive table that quickly summarises large amounts of data.

Question 21

what is a linear regression model

Answer 21

it is the best-fit relationship between two types of data.

Question 22

what are the types of charts

Answer 22

Bar charts

Coloumn charts

line charts

Pie charts

Question 23

what is a chart

Answer 23

it is a graphical representation of numerical data

Question 24

when would you use each type of charts

Answer 24

Bar charts and column charts are used to do comparisions between items to be made at a glance and show variation between them over a period of time.

Line charts are used to show trends or changes in data over a period of time, and emphasises the time flow/rate of change rather than the amount of change.

Pie charts are used to show the relationship, or proportions of parts to a whole. They are used to appeal to people because they are easy to read and attractive.

Question 25

what is data matching

Answer 25

it invovles finding data and giving some meaning to it.

Question 26

how does data matching work in different DSSs

Answer 26

• a database involves searching and sorting data. It requires the user to construct an appropriate query and interpret the results. Data matching in a data warehouse is achieved using data mining. It finds relationships and patterns in the data stored in a database.
• a neural network is achieved by finding relationships between sets of data to develop an understanding of the situation. They examine the data and create new information as they are training.
• an expert system involves the use of a knowledge base, a database of facts and an inference engine. The knowledge base and database of facts contain all the data, and the inference engine carries out the reasoning by using the facts, assumptions, theories, and rules.

Question 27

what is primary source

Answer 27

it is when data is collected first hand

Question 28

what is secondary source

Answer 28

it is when data is collected or created by someone else.

Question 29

what is structured data

Answer 29

it is predefined characters, usually numbers, whose meaning and format is specified. It is easily stored and retrieved in an orderly manner for decision-making

Question 30

What is unstructured data

Answer 30

Unstructured data does not fit a predefined or descriptive model. It includes all types of media, such as text, audio, numbers, images and video. Unstructured data is more difficult to use in DSSs as it creates greater processing and storage demands.

Question 31

what is the role of an expert in an Expert system

Answer 31

The expert supplies the knowledge for the knowledge base and the inference engine. The quality of an expert system is dependent on the knowledge of the expert.

Question 32

what is the role of the knowledge engineer in the expert system

Answer 32

Knowledge engineers are the people who build the expert system. They are responsible for obtaining information from the human experts and for designing the structure of the knowledge base and the inference engine.

Question 33

What is a group decision support system

Answer 33

GDSS for short, It is an information system that assists users to make a decision by working together in a group

Question 34

what are the five main features of GDSS

Answer 34

presentation material

commenting

brainstorming

voting

evaluation