Knowledge and Design Decision Processes

This paper describes how knowledge engineering techniques can be employed within optimization design decision processes. It commences with a brief discussion about multicriteria design optimization prior to elaborating the use of knowledge within this decision process. Four areas are briefly described-- knowledge as a control mechanism in the generation of the Pareto optimal set, knowledge needed to select alternate generation processes, knowledge which can be induced from the Pareto optimal set, and knowledge needed to recognize optimization models. A system which implements these concepts is presente