Modeling users through an expert system and a neural network

With the number of Internet and Web users increasing rapidly, electronic service providers are competing to satisfy and better serve customers looking for information or channels of advertisement. A wide variety of browsers, specialized sites, custom made software, etc, are being offered on a regular basis. However, the user has to filter through a large number of files before finding what he/she is really looking for. This paper presents a user modeling expert system, SIGMA, based on neural networks for encapsulating Internet and Web users' habits and preferences. SIGMA is an artifical intelligence application designed to answer an Internet client needs and preferences. It analyses the user supplied demographic data and the monitored transactions then generates a tailored profile that is ultimately used to filter what information is being passed on to him/her in an effort to reduce and hopefully eliminate the time and energy expended in sifting through raw and often unwanted data.