Forest Ecosystem Management via the NED Intelligent Information System

We view an Intelligent Information System (IIS) as composed of a unified knowledge base, database, and model base. The model base includes decision support models such as growth and yield simulation models, forecasting models, and visualization models for example. In addition, we feel that the model base should include domain specific problem solving modules as well as decision support models. This, then, allows an IIS to provide responses to user queries regardless of whether the query process involves a data retrieval, an inference, a computational method, a problem solving module (employing, for example, a non-production rule based heuristic search technique), or some combination of these. The unified integration of these components in a distributed environment for forest ecosystem management is the focus of our continuing research.