Clips (software)

ClipsAppIcon

CLIPS (C Language Integrated Production System) is a public domain software tool for building expert systems. Created in 1985 by Gary Riley at NASA's Johnson Space Center, CLIPS is designed to facilitate the development of software that simulates the decision-making ability of a human expert.

Overview

CLIPS is written in the C programming language and provides a complete environment for the construction of rule-based expert systems. It includes a forward-chaining inference engine, a rule-based programming language, and a procedural programming language. The system is highly portable and can be run on various operating systems, including Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Features

CLIPS offers several features that make it a powerful tool for developing expert systems:

• **Rule-based programming**: CLIPS uses a rule-based approach, where knowledge is represented in the form of rules. Each rule consists of an if-then statement that specifies what action to take when certain conditions are met.
• **Fact base**: The fact base in CLIPS stores information that the rules operate on. Facts can be asserted or retracted dynamically during the execution of the program.
• **Inference engine**: The inference engine in CLIPS uses forward chaining to derive conclusions from the rules and facts. It continuously applies rules to the fact base until no more rules can be applied.
• **Object-oriented programming**: CLIPS supports object-oriented programming through its COOL (CLIPS Object-Oriented Language) extension, allowing users to define classes and objects.
• **Integration with other languages**: CLIPS can be integrated with other programming languages, such as C++ and Java, enabling the development of hybrid systems.

Applications

CLIPS has been used in a wide range of applications, including:

• Aerospace: Developing diagnostic systems for spacecraft and aircraft.
• Manufacturing: Creating systems for process control and quality assurance.
• Healthcare: Building medical diagnostic systems and decision support tools.
• Finance: Developing systems for fraud detection and risk assessment.

History

CLIPS was developed at NASA's Johnson Space Center in the mid-1980s to provide a tool for building expert systems that could be used in various NASA projects. Over the years, it has evolved and been adopted by many organizations worldwide for different applications.

See Also

• Expert system
• Inference engine
• Rule-based system
• Artificial intelligence
• Knowledge representation
• Forward chaining
• C programming language

Related Pages

• Expert system
• Inference engine
• Rule-based system
• Artificial intelligence
• Knowledge representation
• Forward chaining
• C programming language