Turner Kenneth J
Computing Science and Mathematics, University of Stirling, Stirling FK94LA, UK.
J Biomed Inform. 2009 Apr;42(2):237-50. doi: 10.1016/j.jbi.2008.10.006. Epub 2008 Nov 7.
The aims of this work were: to define an abstract notation for interactive decision trees; to formally analyse exploration errors in such trees through automated translation to Lotos (language of temporal ordering specification); to generate tree implementations through automated translation for an existing tree viewer, and to demonstrate the approach on healthcare examples created by the CGT (clinical guidance tree) project.
An abstract and machine-readable notation was developed for describing clinical guidance trees: Ad/it (abstract decision/interactive trees). A methodology has been designed for creating trees using Ad/it. In particular, tree structure is separated from tree content. Tree structure and flow are designed and evaluated before committing to detailed content of the tree. Software tools have been created to translate Ad/it tree descriptions into Lotos and into CGT Viewer format. These representations support formal analysis and interactive exploration of decision trees. Through automated conversion of existing CGT trees, realistic healthcare applications have been used to validate the approach.
All key objectives of the work have been achieved. An abstract notation has been created for decision trees, and is supported by automated translation and analysis. Although healthcare applications have been the main focus to date, the approach is generic and of value in almost any domain where decision trees are useful.
本研究的目的是：定义一种用于交互式决策树的抽象表示法；通过自动转换为Lotos（时态排序规范语言）对这类树中的探索错误进行形式化分析；通过自动转换为现有树查看器的格式来生成树的实现，并在由CGT（临床指导树）项目创建的医疗保健示例中演示该方法。
开发了一种用于描述临床指导树的抽象且机器可读的表示法：Ad/it（抽象决策/交互式树）。设计了一种使用Ad/it创建树的方法。特别是，树结构与树内容是分开的。在确定树的详细内容之前，先设计并评估树结构和流程。已创建软件工具将Ad/it树描述转换为Lotos和CGT查看器格式。这些表示法支持对决策树进行形式化分析和交互式探索。通过对现有CGT树的自动转换，已使用实际医疗保健应用来验证该方法。
本研究的所有关键目标均已实现。已为决策树创建了一种抽象表示法，并通过自动转换和分析提供支持。尽管医疗保健应用是迄今为止的主要重点，但该方法具有通用性，在决策树有用的几乎任何领域都有价值。
