Retrieving Adaptable Cases
The Role of Adaptation Knowledge in Case Retrieval


Barry Smyth1 and Mark T. Keane2

1 Hitachi Dublin Laboratory, OReilly Institute, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2,

Ireland

2 Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland


Abstract. The retrieval of a suitable case is of crucial importance to the
success of case-based reasoning. A good criterion for judging "case suitability" 
is bow complex a case will be to adapt. However, it has proven
difficult to directly calculate this measure of case "adaptability" without 
incurring the full cost of adaptation. This has led most researchers
to exploit semantic similarity as a more tractable (albeit less accurate)
answer to the question of case suitability.
This paper describes an approach to case retrieval that allows case adaptability 
to be accurately measured whilst overcoming the problems which,
in the past, led to the adoption of seiuantic similarity based methods.
We argue that our approach benefits from improved retrieval accuracy,
flexibility, and greater overall problem solving efficacy. Our methods are
implemented in Dj Vu, a case-based reasoning system for software design, 
and we use examples from Dj Vu to demonstrate our ideas.
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