Title :
On the Dempster-Shafer evidence theory and non-hierarchical aggregation of belief structures
Author :
Bhattacharya, Prabir
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Comput. Sci. & Eng., Nebraska Univ., Lincoln, NE, USA
fDate :
9/1/2000 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
The Dempster´s rule of combination is a widely used technique to integrate evidence collected from different sources. In this paper, it is shown that the values of certain functions defined on a family of belief structures decrease (by scale factors depending on the degree of conflict) when the belief structures are combined according to the Dempster´s rule. Similar results also hold when an arbitrary belief structure is prioritized while computing the combination. Furthermore, the length of the belief-plausibility interval is decreased during a nonhierarchical aggregation of belief structures. Several types of inheritance networks are also proposed each of which allows considerable flexibility in the choice of prioritization
Keywords :
inference mechanisms; inheritance; Dempster-Shafer evidence theory; belief structures; belief-plausibility interval; inheritance networks; nonhierarchical aggregation; Application software; Biomedical imaging; Computer vision; Decision making; Image retrieval; Medical expert systems; Medical robotics; Pattern matching; Robot vision systems; Robotics and automation;
Journal_Title :
Systems, Man and Cybernetics, Part A: Systems and Humans, IEEE Transactions on
DOI :
10.1109/3468.867860