Verification and validation in fuzzy expert systems

The techniques and tools developed for the assurance of reliability and quality in conventional software may also be applied to the development of fuzzy expert systems. This article addresses the use of one of the techniques and tools of software engineering in the development of fuzzy-rule-based expert systems. Coverage analysis applied to the rules of the knowledge base in a fuzzy-rule-based expert system can provide a measure towards assuring reliability and quality in soft expert systems. Coverage analysis is a technique used for verification and validation in software engineering. A description of verification and validation in the development of conventional software and the role of coverage analysis within those approaches to software quality assurance are first presented. Then the use of coverage analysis in the development of fuzzy-rule-based expert systems is examined. Experience from the application of coverage analysis to a knowledge base for a fuzzy-rule-based expert system is also presented