Structural Similarity as Guidance
in Case-Based Design *

Katy Brner

HTWK Leipzig, Department of Informatics,
P.O.Box 66, 04251 Leipzig, FRG
katy@informatik.th-leipzig.de



Abstract. This paper presents a novel approach to determine structural
similarity as guidance for adaptation in case-based reasoning (CBR). We
advance structural similarity assessment which provides not only a single
numeric value but the most specific structure two cases have in common,
inclusive of the modification rules needed to obtain this structure from
the two cases. Our approach treats retrieval, matching, and adaptation
as a group of dependent processes. This guarantees the retrieval and
matching of not only similar but adaptable cases. Both together enlarge
the overall problem solving performance of CBR and the explainability
of case selection and adaptation considerably. Although our approach
is more theoretical in nature and not restricted to a specific domain,
we will give an example taken from the domain of industrial building
design. Additionally, we will sketch two prototypical implementations of
the approach.
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