Dov M. Gabbay

Philippe Smets

Jürg Kohlas

Serafín Moral

The Handbook of Defeasible Reasoning and Uncertainty Management Systems is unique in its masterly survey of the computational and algorithmic problems of systems of applied reasoning. The various theoretical and modelling aspects of defeasible reasoning were dealt with in the first four volumes, and Volume 5 now turns to the algorithmic aspect. Topics covered include: Computation in valuation algebras; consequence finding algorithms; possibilistic logic; probabilistic argumentation systems, networks and satisfiability; algorithms for imprecise probabilities, for Dempster-Shafer, and network based decisions.

Volume 5: Algorithms for Uncertainty and Defeasible Reasoning

Handbook of Defeasible Reasoning and Uncertainty Management Systems

Reasoning under uncertainty is always based on a specified language or for malism, including its particular syntax and semantics, but also on its associated inference mechanism. In the present volume of the handbook the last aspect, the algorithmic aspects of uncertainty calculi are presented. Theory has suffi ciently advanced to unfold some generally applicable fundamental structures and methods. On the other hand, particular features of specific formalisms and ap proaches to uncertainty of course still influence strongly the computational meth ods to be used. Both general as well as specific methods are included in this volume. Broadly speaking, symbolic or logical approaches to uncertainty and nu merical approaches are often distinguished. Although this distinction is somewhat misleading, it is used as a means to structure the present volume. This is even to some degree reflected in the two first chapters, which treat fundamental, general methods of computation in systems designed to represent uncertainty. It has been noted early by Shenoy and Shafer, that computations in different domains have an underlying common structure. Essentially pieces of knowledge or information are to be combined together and then focused on some particular question or domain. This can be captured in an algebraic structure called valuation algebra which is described in the first chapter. Here the basic operations of combination and focus ing (marginalization) of knowledge and information is modeled abstractly subject to simple axioms.

Algorithms for Uncertainty and Defeasible Reasoning

Amihai Motro

Uncertainty Management in Information Systems: From Needs to Solutions is a book about how information systems can be made to manage information permeated with uncertainty. This subject is at the intersection of two areas of knowledge: information systems is an area that concentrates on the design of practical systems that can store and retrieve information; uncertainty modeling is an area in artificial intelligence concerned with accurate representation of uncertain information and with inference and decision-making under conditions infused with uncertainty. The first part of this book describes issues and challenges in the area of imperfect information that confront information systems, and the second part covers the principal theories for modeling imperfect information, and shows how these theories may be adapted to information systems. All chapters are original contributions and present solutions that have been applied and the experiences that have been gained from those solutions. The material has been closely edited by the book's editors for content, consistency and style. This authoritative book is state-of-the-art coverage of `Uncertainty Management in Information Systems'.

Philippe Smets

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