Diagnostic Expert System with Application in Maritime Affairs

Expert systems have a wide range of applications in everyday life and because of their modular nature and simple integration in various programming languages, could be used to solve even the most difficult problems. Therefore the proposed system describes only one aspect of the application, the one in the area: where a chronic lack of a human expert is obvious. Those are the cases where the expert system can be used as an adequate substitution for a human specialist. Application of the proposed system is not limited only to the situations happening at sea, but at all other sites where no medical aid is available and where correct diagnosing can be of crucial importance. Data sampling and analysis of seamen diseases were carried out in cooperation with the commercial maritime company, and outcomes were taken as the basis for inference rules design processes. The prerequisite of the system design is to have the basic programming knowledge to allow easy upgrade to the next application level where a wider range of possible diseases may be analyzed