computer science

SHINE Expert System

SHINE Expert System is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand SHINE Expert System rather than just read about it. In short: Spacecraft Health Inference Engine (SHINE) is a software-development tool for knowledge-based systems, created by the Artificial intelligence Group, Information Systems Technology Section at NASA/JPL. The system is in use in basic and applied AI research at JPL.

Key takeaways

SHINE Expert System belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect SHINE Expert System to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of SHINE Expert System from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Spacecraft Health Inference Engine (SHINE) is a software-development tool for knowledge-based systems, created by the Artificial intelligence Group, Information Systems Technology Section at NASA/JPL. The system is in use in basic and applied AI research at JPL. SHINE was designed to operate in a real-time environment. It is written in Common LISP, but able to be utilized by non-LISP applications written in conventional programming languages such as C and C++. These non-LISP applications can be running in a distributed computing environment on remote computers or on a computer that supports multiple programming languages. SHINE provides a variety of facilities for the development of software modules for the primary functions in knowledge-based reasoning engines. The system may be used to develop artificial intelligence applications as well as specialized tools for research efforts.

Background The original inventors of SHINE are Mark L. James and David J. Atkinson. SHINE is an expert system and inference engine based upon the experience, requirements and technology that were collected by the Artificial Intelligence Research group at NASA/JPL in developing expert systems for the diagnosis of spacecraft health. SHINE is based on technology first developed by James and Atkinson for the "STAR*TOOL" system. SHINE itself resulted from applying this technology in a project called "Spacecraft Health Automated Reasoning Pilot" (SHARP). SHARP aimed to automate and provide expert system consultation to space flight operations personnel who monitor and diagnose robotic spacecraft on science missions, such as the Voyager spacecraft.

SHINE is written in Common LISP and can be run on any system that supports the language. It has been interfaced with many non-LISP systems. Beyond Limits has the Caltech licensing rights to all commercial applications of SHINE.

Historical and current applications of SHINE Spacecraft Health Automatic Reasoning Pilot (SHARP) for the diagnosis of telecommunication anomalies during the Neptune Voyager (VGR) Encounter. Galileo's (GLL) mission for diagnosing problems in the Power and Pyro Subsystem (PPS). Magellan's (MGN) mission for diagnosis of telecommunication anomalies in the TELECOM subsystem. Engineering Analysis Subsystem Environment (EASE) which is an operations environment to operate a large number of spacecraft simultaneously and increase productivity through shared resources and automation. Extreme Ultra Violet Explorer (EUVE) mission for labour 3 to 1 shift reductions through the use of artificial intelligence. Fault Induced Document Officer (FIDO) for the EUVE mission. which is an automated system that assists in expert knowledge acquisition, access and publishing capabilities for safely managing complex systems under staffing reductions and "lights out" operations. Stochastic Problem Obviation Tracker (SPOT) for the EUVE mission which captures and reports relevant statistical information to the user based on operations within the FIDO environment. The Program is licensed by Beyond Limits for use with their artificial intelligence technology. Under consideration by a medical company for real-time diagnosis of rectal colon cancer. Under consideration by a medical company for an expert system for the control of the robotic systems used in eye surgery.

References

External links Software Analyses Complex Systems in Real Time SHINE use at NASA SHINE was previously licensed to Viaspace for commercial purposes SHINE: The Spacecraft Health Interface Engine

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with SHINE Expert System

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what SHINE Expert System claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to SHINE Expert System before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about SHINE Expert System ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of SHINE Expert System

In research: SHINE Expert System appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses SHINE Expert System in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: SHINE Expert System is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Common Lisp (programming language) software, Expert systems, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for SHINE Expert System outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study SHINE Expert System in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what SHINE Expert System means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain SHINE Expert System out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is SHINE Expert System in simple terms?

Why does SHINE Expert System matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study SHINE Expert System?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on SHINE Expert System.