Week 12 - other intelligent systems

This is our last session before the Christmas vacation, and we will be following on from the sessions on expertise and expert systems but looking at some other systems that demonstrate intelligent characteristics, such as genetic algorithms and artificial neural networks.  The slides are in the ES tab.

Testing, testing...

It is useful to have a table to describe the test plan that you create and implement for your software.  Please see the following handout from Dawson's book:

Link to testing from Dawson's book

Dawson's book at Amazon

In the seminar after today's lecture (week 11, Thursday 13 December) we looked at examples of tests, and showed how any problems were addressed. Not all tests are successful first time, so we need to identify and errors and explain what had to be done to correct them.
We also need to consider how the systems deal with error data as well as valid data:

if you are calculating wages:

• 40 hours worked per week = OK
• 60 hours worked per week = looks like overtime was involved
• 80 hours worked per week = check if overtime was authorised
• 200 hours worked per week = whoa!  There are only 168 hours in a week!

You do not want your system to calculate payment for 200 hours worked, as this is impossible.

You should also check whether your system can cope with invalid data types, such as what happens when a character is typed instead of a number - does the system crash, wait for more data, or display an error message?

Note that testing refers to the testing of your queries (including passing parameters, and the switchboard).

Checking the data that makes up the database will be in the organisation chart section if it refers to staff; in the case of all other data, any errors (and associated actions and corrections) will be included in the section of data cleansing.

  

Weeks 10 and 11 - Expertise and expert systems

In these two weeks we will consider what is meant by expertise, and how we can capture expertise in order to transfer the skills of an expert into a system that can be used by non-expert users in order that they can have the benefit of expert advice.

Week 9 - Database Technology and Knowledge Management

This week we will be looking at databases and further extensions such as data marts and data warehouses.  We will consider the differences between data, information and knowledge, and then examine knowledge management.

Week 8 - Decision Support Systems (DSS)

This week we will consider DSS, which are intended to assist, rather than replace, a manager in making a decision.  We will see a real example of a DSS used in industry.

Week 7 -Types of MSS

This week we will continue with types of MSS, which we had started last week.

Week 6 - Types of MSS

This week we will be looking at different types of MSS, and the support that is offered.

Seminar and workshop tutors will be starting to give feedback on progress so far on the coursework; please use the feedback in your report and state how it has been used in the design and development of the report and/or software.

Week 5 - judgement and decision-making

This week we have a guest lecture from Dr David Hardman in the School of Psychology.  David will be discussing judgement and decision-making. 

The slides are available here:

judgement and decision-making

Week 4 - strategy and decision-making

In week 4, we continue to look at strategy and decisions.  We take account of decisions made at different levels in the hierarchy - strategic, tactical, operational - and consider to what extent the outcome could be known or predicted.  Some decisions are made in face of uncertainty, some with a degree of risk, whereas others have a certain outcome.  It is this last group that can most readily be programmed, and we look at decision trees and decision tables that indicate the different options.  There is no room for judgement in structured decisions, it is a question of following the rules.  Expertise and judgement can be used in unstructured, and sometimes in semi-structured decisions.  The slides are in the strategy tab.

Week 3 - more on strategy

This week will be looking more at strategy, including swot analysis and the BCG matrix

Week 2 - Strategy

This week we will begin to consider various aspects of strategy, and the tools and techniques that are employed for identifying and evaluating different concepts.

Week 1 - Introduction

This week included a brief overview of the module.  The slides that we covered are included as a video in the introduction page; the remaining slides are in a second video on the same page.

Some data files are available via Weblearn; more will be released next week.

Please email me if you cannot see the module in Weblearn or if you do not have the module visible in the timetable.

Any questions for week 1?  Submit as a comment on this post.

Kay

kay.dudman@londonmet.ac.uk