SESYS: Statistical Expert Systems for Information Management

摘要

Powerful tools for statistical data analysis are now widespread and are in use by non-statisticians. Current statistical software provides the user with the mechanics of doing data analysis. This paper describes SESYS, a statistical expert system for information management prototype, for assisting non-statisticians and statisticians alike in the statistical information management process. SESYS (Statistical Expert System for information management) is a computer expert system program in Prolog aimed at providing methodological feedback and advice at each step of information management, and making available a recording approach focussed not only on statistical data but also on management problems and management decisions. The actual utility of SESYS is threefold. First, used online as a decision aid, it may improve a statistician's performance in the real statistical context. Second, it can be used as an educational tool to train students in statistical methodology. Third, on the basis of its recording facilities, it can provide well-assessed, objective decision-making statistical databases, which might be very useful in evaluating performance.