Human-computer cooperative problem solving. I. A case study of an expert system for real-time monitoring

The mission operations room for NASA´s Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE) satellite is the first of its kind to use an expert system to work with the human operators. This expert system monitors the communication links between the spacecraft and the mission operations room, diagnoses problems, and offers advice. The authors describe the domain of satellite ground control, the features of the expert system called CLEAR, and the methodology and results of a case study that examined how and why human operators made use of this expert system. Three types of data were collected: questionnaire, informal interview, and video- and audio-tape of real-time supports. The results for all three approaches are analyzed