Running a model
Use the 'Consult' command ('Build' menu) to run the model in the window. This begins a process of interaction known as a 'consultation' that resembles the interaction between a human expert and a client. The idea is that InterModeller behaves like an artificial human expert - it operates as an expert system.
Normally, a consultation consists of a series of menu questions or yes/no questions. Depending on your answers and the information in the model, this eventually concludes with some advice. You can ask for an explanation of why questions are asked and you can ask for an explanation of how a conclusion was reached.
If InterModeller is running in certainty factor (CF) logic mode then questions will ask for certainty factor values and CF values will be supplied with the advice. For a rule model that contains CF tags, CF logic mode is selected automatically. It can also be selected manually via the Run/Logic menu command.
Human experts have specialist knowledge which they can employ to make inferences about particular problem cases. InterModeller relies upon the information in the model as its specialist knowledge and it uses an inferencing strategy based upon depth-first backward chaining. Like human experts, InterModeller attempts to justify its advice by explaining how it was reached.