Managing Agriculture KnowledgeThrough Localized CommunityExpert System Managing Agriculture Knowledge Through Localized Community Expert System A Research Project

Availability of user-friendly technology Building & maintaining expert systems is a process with two axes: Knowledge Acquisition and Knowledge Engineering Many components come into play creating a web of factors that could affect the efficiency of expert systems. The need not to just build an expert system but to document how to go about building a valid and efficient expert system. Researching A Process…. Evaluating A Product

 What are the components of a workable model for building efficient Knowledge Bases for solving problems in specific knowledge domains through the use of Expert Systems?  To what extent do the model components affect each other?  What is the expertise needed for managing and sustaining each of the model components?  What are the criteria of the knowledge domains that could be best encoded through Expert Systems?  What are the selection criteria of the knowledge experts who can effectively encode their expertise as Expert Systems?  To what extent is the knowledge engineering methodology adopted in the project effective in capturing and encoding expertise as rules in knowledge bases?  What are the advantages and disadvantages of the available Expert System technologies? On what basis the decision was taken for the expert system technology used in this project?  What are the competencies and skills required for the efficient use of Expert Systems?  How could the challenge of upgrading and sustaining Expert Systems be dealt with? Research Questions

Adopting and adapting expert system tool Identifying a workable model for building efficient expert systems. Researching conditions of system components and the relationships among them. Consolidating lessons learned and best practices. Producing field-tested prototypes to use in advocacy and capacity building Pilot Project

6 Capacity Building and Validation Workshops 50+ participants 37 Expert Systems developed 4 Focus group meetings with knowledge experts 1 Focus group meeting with CLAES Tool Questionnaire Training Questionnaire Peer Review Questionnaire Expert System Rating Scale Researching A Process……

The developed tool is user friendly The implementation of the expert systems has led to add some features to the developed tool (e.g. links to images, and textual document for symptoms and causes, systems directory, list of experts) Some rules are added to handle “no diagnosis”. User’s rating and comments The Expert System Tool

Workable Framework forBuildingEfficient Expert Systems Workable Framework for Building Efficient Expert Systems

Identification of Knowledge Experts Advocating Business Model Showing Prototypes Setting Requirements Training on Knowledge Engineering Establishing Follow-up Mechanism Developing/Reviewing & Updating Expert System Validation & Verification (internal/External ) Community Rating As Sequential as A, B, C……..

ADVOCACY -Advocacy Message -Advocacy Channels -Showing not Telling / Experiential not Theoretical BUILDING CAPACITY - Clear requirements -Training Approach -Follow-up Mechanism CONSTRUCTION - Building & Testing As Sequential as A, B, C……..

Advocacy Identification of Knowledge Experts Advocating Business Model Showing Prototypes

Advocacy Identification of Knowledge Experts Familiarity with problems /language in the field Access to in- depth specialized, valid, up-to- date and complete knowledge Logical Thinking Knowledge Acquisition / analysis Design Knowledge bases

Advocacy Advocating Business Model Clear Return on Investment Fierce Competition Users’ needs & satisfaction Quality of Input Different advocacy channels

Advocacy Showing Prototypes Showing not Telling Model Adaptation/ Variation Best Practice Prototype Expert System Advocates/ Other Advocacy Channels

Building Capacity Setting Requirements Training on Knowledge Engineering Establishing Follow-up Mechanism

Building Capacity Setting Requirements Avail Relevant Knowledge (texts/photos) Classifying /Sorting Knowledge Decide on Scope

Building Capacity Training on Knowledge Engineering Knowledge Engineering Knowledge bases Modeling Completing/ reviewing the expert system Start Feeding Knowledge bases to the tool Immediate Feedback ‘How-to validate and verify

Building Capacity Establishing Follow-up Mechanism Criteria/Index as frame of reference Announced Follow- up/technical support plans Motivation/ Incentives

Construction Developing/Reviewing & Updating Expert Systems Validation & Verification Community Rating

Construction Developing/Reviewing & Updating Expert Systems Clarity of questions Classification of answers Order/number of Questions Use/quality of photos System Review System Update Responding to the interest of the growers

Construction Validation & Verification Real-time Test cases Two cases/ rule (+/-) Adaptation in light of test cases Users’ feedback

Construction Community Rating Competition & Business Model Users’ rating & Comments Monitoring traffic Role modeling

Hyperlink of list of Expert Systemslist of Expert Systems Evaluating products……

Follow-up efforts (facebook groups, messaging, individual contacts) CLAES validation and verification reports Knowledge experts evaluation (rating and comments) Evaluating Products

Building experts system is a trainable process Identified critical factors that affect system efficiency and validity Factors taken into account in planning Advocacy, Capacity Building and Construction Phases of the process Concluding Remarks

Project Outputs: User-friendly expert system tool 37 expert systems at various degrees of completion Training Package ICT Skills KIT Process reports Process/Working Model document On-going feedback collection mechanism Concluding Remarks

Expert System Review CLAES technical support (end of Sept.) Peer reviewing continue Community Rating (Tool & Expert System) ICT Trust Fund customers-support Next Steps