Restaurant Advisor Expert System

Exsys Corvid Demo

The following Restaurant Selection system is a small demonstration that displays some of Exsys CORVID's features. CORVID expert systems can advise among a group of possible competing alternatives even if the user's requests may not exactly match any of the possible options. In this case, the system advises on where to go to dinner based on occasion, atmosphere, and food preferences.

The CORVID system interacts with you by asking initial questions to obtain data on your preferences. More focused queries are then made by the system based on information you have already provided. Unnecessary questions are not asked, but when your answer indicates more details are needed in a specific area, the system asks follow-up questions. Recommended restaurants are presented, along with specific comments on potential disadvantages the restaurant might present for the occasion (e.g. too noisy, not private, etc.)

Run this Exsys Corvid expert system to select the best restaurant for dinner in Albuquerque, NM

How It Works: This example system selects from a group of Albuquerque restaurants. These are restaurants with widely differing food types, atmosphere and prices.

The system asks the user questions on the occasion and what type of food is desired. Data on the various restaurants is stored in a spreadsheet file. Exsys Corvid's unique MetaBlock approach is used to analyze each restaurant based on the rules in the system and the end user's preferences. This creates a probabilistic ranking of the restaurants related to the customer's requirements. The system automatically ranks various factors based on the occasion. The top 5 restaurants that best meet the user's requests are displayed. Comments on the suitability of the restaurant are also displayed with the results. Including a new restaurant is as simple as adding it to the spreadsheet. If a restaurant changes its price, menu, or decor, it is also just edited in the spreadsheet.

The system uses image maps to present a more complex user interface, even thought the system is run with the Corvid Applet Runtime. The Corvid Development tool can associate a JPG or GIF image with a question and assign "hot spots" on the image that select specific values. This can be used to set individual values, or (as with the budget question) select from a continuum of values. Image maps provide a highly flexible user interface that can put a lot of information in a very small space,

All of the decision-making logic is kept separate from the restaurant data which is stored in an easily maintained spreadsheet. Generic restaurant selection logic is converted to rules using CORVID's development environment. These rules are applied to data on the specific restaurants stored in the spreadsheet.

For more information on using Exsys Corvid for probabilistic presales advice, click here