On the applicability of knowledge-based systems in communication

A knowledge-based system (COMEX) is presented which replaces or augments the human operator of a communication station in a multilink, multidrop communication network. The system accepts some preliminary information from a human operator, from utility programs running on the same processor, and from external sensors. The system comprises an expert system that operates on three distinct knowledge bases in order to reach an optimal solution for the communication problem. COMEX is written in Turbo Pascal and runs on an IBM-compatible PC, which functions as the communication station controller. When used in a fully automatic mode, it performs efficiently all the functions of an experienced and expert operator, equipment parameters selection and setting, and complete message handling