KILS: a prototypical expert system for assessing technologies

A prototypical knowledge-based system that uses different identification techniques to assess the impact of new technologies is presented. Technology assessment and impact identification analysis are described in the context of environmental impact assessment (EIA), and the characteristics of ten components of EIA are discussed. A knowledge-based prototype that provides a decision framework for impact identification is described, impact identification techniques are examined, and a schematic view of the prototypical system is presented. The results of an experiment to evaluate system strengths are outlined, and the system´s implementation is illustrated with a simple example.<>