Application of knowledge based systems technology to the management of accidental spills

The AIDA personal computer based expert system has been developed to assist electric utility personnel in the case of a hydrocarbon chemical spill in a transformer yard. The types of accidents which could result in such a spill are described, and the role of expert systems in managing such an accident is explained. The stages of conceptual analysis and computer implementation of the AIDA expert system are then reviewed. To date, the AIDA system includes more than 600 rules and procedures which refer to over 450 variables or different facts. The architecture of the system is composed of four distinct rule bases, each associated with one of four stages of problem resolution (determination of the possible flow paths of pollutant if no action is taken, visual reconnaissance, selection and prioritization of locations where intervention should occur, and determination of the means of intervention appropriate for each location). Uniform procedures for reading of data and output of results allow each rule base to operate independently and only to recover the information that each requires. The AIDA man-machine interface is designed to allow the user to visualize the propagation of the pollutant in the environment, the management of the spill, and the necessary or useful information for understanding the reasoning behind the recommendations proposed by the expert system. 7 refs., 3 figs