Considerations for building knowledge-based expert systems in highway maintenance planning

Genuine, nontrivial planning problems in pavement and bridge maintenance are generally beyond the capabilities of expert systems. However, the diagnostic, interpretive and predictive features of such systems can be combined with algorithmic planning tools to produce comprehensive maintenance planning and management systems. After a discussion of the relevant issues, this paper addresses the potential application areas for knowledgebased expert systems in highway maintenance planning. The focus is on how and where expert systems can interface with optimization models to yield meaningful results.