A user model neural network for a personal news service

User modelling has been widely applied to pedantic situations, where we are attempting to infer the user's knowledge. In teaching it is important to know that the user has mastered the elementary concepts before proceeding with the advanced topics. However, the application of user modelling to information retrieval demands a quite different type of user model. Here we construct a user model for browsing, where the user is uncertain of exactly which information he desires. This requires a more inexact and robust user model, that can quickly give guidance to the system. We propose a user model based on neural networks that can be constructed incrementally. Performance of the model shows some promise for this approach. We discuss the advantages and limitations of the approach and its implications for user modelling.     

A relational hierarchical model for decision-theoretic assistance

Building intelligent assistants has been a long-cherished goal of AI, and many were built and fine-tuned to specific application domains. In recent work, a domain-independent decision-theoretic model of assistance was proposed, where the task is to infer the user??s goal and take actions that minimize the expected cost of the user??s policy. In this paper, we extend this work to domains where the user??s policies have rich relational and hierarchical structure. Our results indicate that relational hierarchies allow succinct encoding of prior knowledge for the assistant, which in turn enables the assistant to start helping the user after a relatively small amount of experience.     

Architecture without numbers — CAAD based on a 3D modelling system

The paper describes an advanced demonstration system which brings together a number of recent developments in CAAD (computer-aided architectural design). This demonstration system illustrates how an important new form of input device, a 3D modelling systemm can be linked with building performance software and ‘indicative’ computer output graphics. The 3D modelling system uses electronically interrogable building elements. The user assembles these elements on a baseboard, providing a tangible model of the design. The model is then interrogated by the CAD system, which recovers the geometry data describing the topology of the model. The user changes the design by reassembling the model elements. A particular aspect of this demonstration is that the user has the option to generate building design data and assimilated building performance data without the need to handle this data in numeric form. It is likely that many of the features present in this demonstration system will be evident in future ‘production’ CAAD systems.     

3M: a user modelling interface of an expert system for X-ray topographic image interpretation

This paper discusses user modelling techniques and presents the design and implementation of the 3M user modelling interface of INTEREX. INTEREX is an expert system for X-ray topographic image interpretation which assists its users in identifying and analysing a number of defects that can occur in high-quality crystals. 3M consists of a monitor, a model and a modifier. It is used to adapt the consultation route and the explanations provided by INTEREX to three categories of users. It demonstrates the use-of an implicit, individual, dynamic and long-term user model to enable an expert system to accommodate users with different levels of expertise.     

The um toolkit for cooperative user modelling

This paper gives an overview of the um toolkit: the philosophy underlying its design, examples of its use and discussion of the way it deals with some major issues in creating user modelling shells. The um toolkit has been developed to provide support for a variety of cooperative agents. An important element of its cooperativeness is due to its capacity to give users an understanding of their own user models. This paper describes two substantial but very different uses of the toolkit. The first involves a collection of coaching systems that help users learn more about their text editor. Experimental results suggest that the user model is associated with users learning more. The second is a movie advisor that uses a range of tools to construct and refine the user model and to filter a database of movies. Both these systems are built from combining tools in um. The paper describes several of the tools for constructing and refining user models. In addition it describes the user-model viewing tools and the way that these help users ensure their user models are correct. The paper also discusses the two central themes of the um work, the application of a tools approach to the design of a user modelling toolkit and the implications of making the user model accessible to its owner, the person modelled.     

Minimalist User Modelling in a Complex Commercial Software System

While user modelling has produced many research-based systems, comparatively little progress has been made in the development of user modelling components for commercial software systems. The development of minimalist user modelling components which are simplified to provide just enough assistance to a user through a pragmatic adaptive user interface is seen by many as an important step toward this goal. This paper describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of a minimalist user modelling component for the Tax and Investment Management Strategizer (TIMS), a complex commercial software system for financial management. This user modelling component manages several levels of adaptations designed to assist novice users in dealing with the complexity of this software package. Important issues and considerations for the development of user modelling components for commercial software systems and the evaluation of such systems in commercial settings are also discussed.     

CAD系统中的产品模型定义技术

本文在就实体造型、尺寸公差建模、非簇建模、参数化建模、约束建模和特征建模等技术作简要的评述后，提出了在现有ＣＡＤ系统基础上，实现产品特征建模系统开发的方法。系统利用特征定义将实体模型和特征模型紧密联系起来，特征识别和基于特征设计技术相互配合，使用户可自由地选取实体建模操作或特征建模操作来构造具有完整定义的产品模型。     

User modelling for adaptive computer systems: a survey of recent developments

User modelling is becoming an important sub-area of Artificial Intelligence with both theoretical and practical consequences. The theoretical foundations of user modelling are to be found in key areas of AI, such as knowledge representation and plan recognition, while its practical applications impinge on the construction of intelligent user interfaces and adaptive systems. This paper provides a survey of current work in user modelling. The paper begins by distinguishing between AI approaches, which are the subject of this survey, and those of HCI (Human-Computer Interaction) and then considers the major issues in user modelling such as: types of user modelling system, the sorts of information modelled, how the information is acquired, represented and used. The paper concludes by examining some of the more problematic aspects of user modelling as well as indicating areas for future research.     

User diversity and design representation: Towards increased effectiveness in Design for All

This paper addresses user modelling for “Design for All” in a model-based approach to Human-Computer Interaction, paying particular attention to placing user models within organisational role- and task-related contexts. After reviewing a variety of user modelling approaches, and deriving requirements for user modelling related to Design for All, the paper proposes a role-driven individualised approach. Such an approach is based on a model-based representation schema and a unifying notation that keeps the user’s models and the contextual information transparent and consistent. Individualisation is achieved by coupling symbolic model specifications with neural networking on synchronisation links between symbolic representation elements. As a result, user modelling for Design for All is achieved not by stereotypical user properties and functional roles, but by accommodating the actual users’ behaviour. Published online: 18 May 2001     

Conceptual data modelling in theory and practice

Conceptual data modelling (CDM) refers to the phase of the information systems development process that involves the abstraction and representation of the real world data pertinent to an organization. When CDM is properly and rigorously performed, the delivered system is expected to be functionally richer, less error-prone, more fully attuned to meet user needs, more able to adjust to changing user requirements and less expensive. However, there is little evidence that conceptual data modelling for the enterprise is actually conducted. There is the feeling that the ‘corporate reality’ is much different. In many organizations, CDM is never employed. In others, it is applied in a haphazard, project-to-project basis, thus leading to considerable redundancy. The academic community has mainly focused on proposing semantic data models but has not demonstrated a rigorous basis for conceptual data modelling. Specifically, the community has failed to show how a conceptual data model can map to an accurate logical data model. It is the purpose of this paper to discuss and compare the perspectives of academic and practitioner communities regarding the application of conceptual data modelling.     

A Compared Study of Two Correctness Proofs for the Standardized Algorithm of ABR Conformance

The ABR conformance protocol is a real-time program that controls dataflow rates on ATM networks. A crucial part of this protocol is the dynamical computation of the expected rate of data cells. We present here a modelling of the corresponding program with its environment, using the notion of (parametric) timed automata. A fundamental property of the service provided by the protocol to the user is expressed in this framework and proved by two different methods. The first proof relies on inductive invariants, and was originally verified using theorem-proving assistant COQ. The second proof is based on reachability analysis, and was obtained using model-checker HYTECH. We explain and compare these two proofs in the unified framework of timed automata.     

User modelling in interactive explanations

In this paper I consider how user modelling can be used to improve the provision of complex explanations, and discuss in detail the user modelling component of the EDGE explanation system. This allows a user model to be both updated and used in an explanatory dialogue with the user. The model is updated based on the interactions with the user, relationships between concepts and a reviseable expertise level. The model in turn influences the planning of the explanation, allowing a more understandable explanation to be generated. I argue that both user modelling and an interactive style of presentation are important for explanations to be acceptable and understandable, and that each reinforces the other.     

一种支持适应性人机界面的PDA窗口系统

PDAW(personal digital assistant window)是一个专用于PDA(personal digital assistant)的窗口系统.其最大的特点是可支持开发具有适应性人机界面的应用程序.适应性人机界面有多种不同的类型，由于PDAW系统只提供支持适应活动的机制，不提供决定适应策略的规则和状态，因此，它不限制应用程序界面的适应类型.PDAW由界面视感层、窗口核心层、设备接口层和编程接口4个层次组成.支持适应活动的机制在窗口核心层之中实现.     

Adaptation in Multimedia Systems

Multimedia systems can profit a lot from personalization. Such a personalization is essential to give users the feeling that the system is easily accessible especially if it is done automatically. The way this adaptive personalization works is very dependent on the adaptation model that is chosen.We introduce a generic two-dimensional classification framework for user modeling systems. This enables us to clarify existing as well as new applications in the area of user modeling. In order to illustrate our framework we evaluate push and pull based user modeling in user modeling systems.Paul de Vrieze received his Masters degree in Information Science in 2002 from the University Of Tilburg, The Netherlands. He is currently junior researcher at the University of Nijmegen. His main research interests include adaptive systems and user modelling.Patrick van Bommel received his Masters degree in Computer Science in 1990, and the degree of Ph.D in Mathematics and Computer Science, from the University of Nijmegen, the Netherlands in 1995. He is currently assistant professor at the University of Nijmegen. His main research interests include information modelling and information retrieval.Prof.Dr.Ir. Th.P. van der Weide received his masters degree from the Technical University Eindhoven, the Netherlands in 1975, and the degree of Ph.D in Mathematics and Physics from the University of Leiden, the Netherlands in 1980. He is currently professor at the University of Nijmegen, the Netherlands. His main research interests include information systems, information retrieval, hypertext and knowledge based systems.     

Tailoring Automatically Generated Hypertext

This paper describes an approach for tailoring the content and structure of automatically generated hypertext. The implemented system HYLITE is based on applied Natural Language Generation (NLG) techniques, a re-usable user modelling component (VIEWGEN), and a flexible architecture with module feedback. The user modelling component is used by the language generation modules to adapt the hypertext content and links to user beliefs and preferences and to the previous interaction. Unlike previous adaptive NLG systems, which have their own, application-specific user models, HYLITE has re-used a generic agent modelling framework (VIEWGEN) instead. Apart from avoiding the development costs of a new model, this also enabled a more extendable system architecture. Another distinct feature of our approach is making NLG techniques adaptable by the user, i.e., providing users with control over the user model and the hypertext adaptivity.     

Consistent Modelling of Users, Devices and Sensors in a Ubiquitous Computing Environment

This paper describes the use of an accretion-resolution user modelling representation to model people, places and objects. We explain the motivation for the key properties of the representation, especially those of particular importance for ubiquitous computing: firstly, for flexibility in interpreting the typically noisy and potentially conflicting evidence about users’ locations; secondly, to support users in scrutinising their user model, the processes that determine its contents and the way that it is used in the ubiquitous computing environment. A novel and important aspect of this work is our extension of the representation beyond modelling just users, using it also to represent the other elements such as devices, sensors, rooms and buildings. We illustrate our approach in terms of models we have been building for a system which enables users to gain personalised information about the sensors and services in a ubiquitous computing environment. We report experiments on the scalability and the management of inconsistency in modelling of location, based on accretion-resolution     

用户画像在电网设备供应商管理中的应用

国家电网在国民经济发展中扮演着重要角色，选择高质量的供应商合作是其提供优质服务的前提.许多专家学者在供应商的管理方面做了许多贡献，但仍存在解决问题单一，主观因素过强的问题.针对项目中供应商管理的多应用和研究现状提出了基于用户画像的供应商管理方案，该方案主要通过用户画像对供应商信用评分、供应商产品选择和供应商长期合作可行性等方面进行辅助决策.文章主要对画像的标签体系和内容进行了详细阐述，重点分析了基于自然语言处理的模型标签生成方法.并结合供应商产品选择案例简述了用户画像在辅助决策上的应用方法，证明了在画像的基础上的方法可以提高供应商选择的精确度，简化了业务流程.     

The role of user models in cooperative interactive systems

For interactive systems to communicate in a cooperative manner, they must have knowledge about their users. This article explores the role of user models in such systems, with the goal of identifying when and how user models may be useful in a cooperative interactive system. User models are classified by the types of knowledge they contain, several user modelling characteristics that serve as dimension for an additional classification of user models are presented, and user model representations are discussed. These topics help to characterize the space of user modelling in cooperative interactive systems-addressing how they can be used-but do not fully address when it is appropriate to include a user model in an interactive system. Thus, a set of design considerations for user models is presented, while a final example illustrates how these topics influence the user model for a hypothetical investment consulting system.     

Walking intent detection algorithm for paraplegic patients using a robotic exoskeleton walking assistant with crutches

This paper deals with a walking intent detection algorithm for paraplegic patients using a robotic exoskeleton walking assistant with crutches. User intent detection is one of the most important factors for a robotic exoskeleton to recognize a user??s intent regarding robot operation and in order to conduct proper operation. For a robotic exoskeleton walking assistant, walking intent detection means that the robot recognizes the best time to start walking behaviors and which behavior should be executed from the user??s intent. To enable this detection, an algorithm derived from a finite Moore Automaton for Robot Behavior (MARB) has been developed. Also, a walking stability criterion model is presented for use in the proposed algorithm as a trigger signal for walking. The proposed algorithm and the walking stability criterion modeling were verified using the robotic exoskeleton walking assistant, ROBIN.