Transcript Collaboration System

Chapter 4
Decision Support and
Artificial Intelligence
Brainpower for Your Business
4-1
Chapter Overview









4-2
Decisions, Decisions, Decisions
Decision Support Systems
Collaboration Systems
Geographic Information Systems
Artificial Intelligence
Expert Systems
Neural Networks
Genetic Algorithms
Intelligent Agents
Opening Case Study


4-3
Continental Airlines Files High with
Decision Support
Continental implemented a decision
support system to provide up-to-theminute flight information.
What other types of decision support
systems could Continental Airlines
implement?
Introduction

4-4
Types of computer-aided decision support.
Decisions, Decisions,
Decisions
How You Make a Decision
Four phases of decision making
1. Intelligence – find or recognize a problem, need, or
opportunity.
2. Design – consider ways to solve the problem, fill the
need, or take advantage of an opportunity.
3. Choice – examine the merits of each solution, estimate
the consequences of each, and choose the best one.
4. Implementation – carry out the chosen solution, monitor
the results, and make adjustments as necessary.
4-5
Decisions, Decisions,
Decisions
Types of Decisions You Face

Structured decision - processes a certain
kind of information in a specified way so
that you will always get the right answer.

Nonstructured decision - one for which
there may be several “right” answers, and
there is no precise way to get a right
answer.
4-6
Decisions, Decisions,
Decisions
Types of Decisions You Face

Recurring decision - one that happens
repeatedly, and often periodically.

Nonrecurring decision - one that you
make infrequently.
4-7
Decision Support Systems

Decision support system (DSS) - highly flexible
and interactive IT system that is designed to support
decision making when the problem is not structured.
4-8
Decision Support Systems
Components of a Decision Support System
4-9
Decision Support Systems

Components of a Decision Support
System
A typical DSS has three components:



4-10
Model management - consists of both the
DSS models and the DSS model
management system.
Data management - performs the function of
storing and maintaining the information that
you want your DSS to use.
User interface management - allows you to
communicate with the DSS.
Collaboration System

Collaboration system – software that is
designed specifically to improve the
performance of teams by supporting the sharing
and flow of information.

Lotus Notes and Microsoft Exchange.

Supply chain management means working with your
suppliers and distributors in all phases of planning,
production, and distribution.
4-11
Collaboration System

Web-based collaboration tools use the
power of the Internet to enable people to
work together effectively and efficiently.

The peer-to-peer file-sharing feature is
combined with the ability to create and edit
documents collaboratively, and to send
and receive text and voice messages.
4-12
Geographic Information Systems

Geographic information system (GIS) a decision support system designed to
work with spatial information.

Spatial information is any information that
can be shown in map form, such as roads
and the distribution of bald eagle
populations.
4-13
Artificial Intelligence

Artificial intelligence (AI) - the science
of making machines imitate human
thinking and behavior.

Robot - mechanical device equipped
with simulated human senses and the
capability of taking action on its own.
4-14
Expert Systems

Expert system, or knowledge-based system artificial intelligence system that applies
reasoning capabilities to reach a conclusion.

Expert systems are well suited for problems that
are:


4-15
Diagnostic (what’s wrong?)
Prescriptive (what to do?)
Expert Systems
Components of an Expert System

Information



4-16
Domain expertise – the reasoning process
that will solve the problem.
Problem facts – the particulars of the current
situation.
“Why” information – the explanation of how
the expert system asked a question or
reached a conclusion.
Expert Systems
Components of an Expert System

People



4-17
Domain expert - provides the domain
expertise in the form of problem-solving
strategies.
Knowledge engineer – IT specialist who
formulates the domain expertise into an
expert system.
Knowledge worker or user - that’s you.
Expert Systems
Components of an Expert System

IT Components





4-18
Knowledge base - stores the rules.
Knowledge acquisition – used to
enter the rules.
Inference engine - takes the problem
facts and searches the knowledge
base for rules that fit.
User interface – runs the consultation.
Explanation module – where
information is stored.
On Your Own
Traffic Lights
Revisited
(p. 199)
Neural Networks

Neural network (often called an artificial
neural network or ANN) - an artificial
intelligence system that is capable of
finding and differentiating patterns.
4-19
Neural Networks
Types of Neural Networks

Self-organizing neural
network - finds patterns and
relationships in vast amounts
of data by itself.

Back-propagation neural
network - a neural network
trained by someone.
4-20
Team Work
How Would You
Classify People?
(p. 202)
Genetic Algorithms

Genetic algorithm - an artificial intelligence
system that mimics the evolutionary, survival-ofthe-fittest process to generate increasingly better
solutions to a problem.

Genetic algorithms use three concepts of
evolution:



4-21
Selection
Crossover
Mutation
Genetic Algorithms
Team Work
Be a Genetic
Algorithm and Put
Nails in Boxes
(p. 206)
4-22
Intelligent Agents

Intelligent agent - software that assists
you, or acts on your behalf, in performing
repetitive computer-related tasks.

Four types of intelligent agents include:




4-23
Buyer agents or shopping bots
User or personal agents
Monitoring-and-surveillance or predictive agents
Data-mining agents
Intelligent Agents
Buyer Agents

Buyer agent or shopping bot - an
intelligent agent on a Web site that helps
the customer find products and services.
4-24
Intelligent Agents
Buyer Agents

Types of filtering include:




4-25
Collaborative filtering
Profile filtering
Psychographic filtering
Adaptive filtering
Intelligent Agents
User Agents

User agents
(sometimes called
personal agents) intelligent agents that
take action on your
behalf.
4-26
On Your Own
Go Bargain
Hunting Online
(p. 209)
Intelligent Agents
Monitoring-and-Surveillance Agents

Monitoring-and-surveillance agents
(also called predictive agents) - observe
and report on equipment.
4-27
Intelligent Agents
Data-Mining Agents

Data-mining agent - operates in a data
warehouse discovering information.
4-28
Intelligent Agents
Components of an Intelligent Agent

Autonomy - act without your telling them
every step to take.

Adaptivity - discovering, learning, and
taking action independently.

Sociability - conferring with other agents.
4-29
Closing Case Studies

Using Neural Networks To Categorize People


How accurate is it for a business to predict the future
behavior of customers on the basis of past behavior?
Decision Support and Artificial Intelligence in
Health Care

4-30
How can DSS and AI be used to track a huge amount
of qualitative and quantitative information on patients
and employees?
Visit the Web to Learn More
www.mhhe.com/haag






Learning about investing
Researching the company behind the
stock
Finding other sources of company
financials
Making trades online
Retrieving stock quotes
Computer-aided decision support
4-31