The Knowledge Engineering and Machine Learning group (KEMLg) is a research group belonging to the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC) – BarcelonaTech. It was founded by Prof. Ulises Cortés. The group has been active in the

Artificial Intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech r ...

field since 1986. The main goal of this research group is the analysis, design, implementation and application of several Artificial Intelligence techniques, to support the operation or behavior analysis of real-world complex systems or domains. Research is focused on the analysis, design, management or supervision of these domains, such as in the health and medical field, in environmental processes and systems, and in the industrial and enterprise sector. Specific research efforts are undertaken in analysis and development of intelligent agents, understanding of coalition setting dynamics, social structure dynamics analysis, formal model construction for norms and conventions for e-commerce, temporal episode-based reasoning, information flow process design, experience-based argumentation techniques, hybrid methods in Statistics and Artificial Intelligence, belief or

Bayesian networks A Bayesian network (also known as a Bayes network, Bayes net, belief network, or decision network) is a probabilistic graphical model that represents a set of variables and their conditional dependencies via a directed acyclic graph (DAG). Bay ...

Case-based reasoning In artificial intelligence and philosophy, case-based reasoning (CBR), broadly construed, is the process of solving new problems based on the solutions of similar past problems. In everyday life, an auto mechanic who fixes an engine by recallin ...

, knowledge-based systems, supervised and unsupervised machine learning techniques, knowledge model identification and knowledge model building, knowledge representation, ontologies, social networks, semantic Web, Web services, and directory service study. One of the major areas of application expertise is in the development of Environmental Decision Support Systems (EDSS) using Artificial Intelligence Techniques. For example, research has been done since 1990 in the area of Urban Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTP), and more specifically on those that have as a technological basis the activated sludge.

Research lines

Their main research lines include: * Knowledge representation,

ontologies In computer science and information science, an ontology encompasses a representation, formal naming, and definition of the categories, properties, and relations between the concepts, data, and entities that substantiate one, many, or all domains ...

, the semantic Web and Web services * Recommendation systems *

Software agent In computer science, a software agent or software AI is a computer program that acts for a user or other program in a relationship of agency, which derives from the Latin ''agere'' (to do): an agreement to act on one's behalf. Such "action on beha ...

s, electronic institutions and

Multi-agent system A multi-agent system (MAS or "self-organized system") is a computerized system composed of multiple interacting intelligent agents.Hu, J.; Bhowmick, P.; Jang, I.; Arvin, F.; Lanzon, A.,A Decentralized Cluster Formation Containment Framework f ...

s *

Intelligent decision support systems An intelligent decision support system (IDSS) is a decision support system that makes extensive use of artificial intelligence (AI) techniques. Use of AI techniques in management information systems has a long history – indeed terms such as "Know ...

Machine Learning Machine learning (ML) is a field of inquiry devoted to understanding and building methods that 'learn', that is, methods that leverage data to improve performance on some set of tasks. It is seen as a part of artificial intelligence. Machine ...

Knowledge Discovery Knowledge extraction is the creation of knowledge from structured (relational databases, XML) and unstructured (text, documents, images) sources. The resulting knowledge needs to be in a machine-readable and machine-interpretable format and must r ...

and Data Mining *

Bayesian network A Bayesian network (also known as a Bayes network, Bayes net, belief network, or decision network) is a probabilistic graphical model that represents a set of variables and their conditional dependencies via a directed acyclic graph (DAG). Bay ...

s *

Knowledge-based systems A knowledge-based system (KBS) is a computer program that reasons and uses a knowledge base to solve complex problems. The term is broad and refers to many different kinds of systems. The one common theme that unites all knowledge based systems i ...

* Knowledge acquisition and

Knowledge discovery Knowledge extraction is the creation of knowledge from structured (relational databases, XML) and unstructured (text, documents, images) sources. The resulting knowledge needs to be in a machine-readable and machine-interpretable format and must r ...

from structural analysis *

Simulation A simulation is the imitation of the operation of a real-world process or system over time. Simulations require the use of models; the model represents the key characteristics or behaviors of the selected system or process, whereas the s ...

and analytical models * Assistive Technologies for th
elders
Intelligent assistive tools as the ''i''-Walker have been developed.

Network memberships

These are the networks of excellence and thematic networks the group belongs to: *ATICA – Spanish Network for the Advance and Transfer of Applied Computational Intelligence (TIN2011-14083-E) *Data Mining and Machine Learning Spanish Network (TIC2002-11124-E) *KDNET – Knowledge Discovery Network of Excellence (IST-2001-33086) *Fluvial Basin Integral Management. Thematic network (2003/XT/00045) *Monitoring and Modelling as a Support Tools for the Improvement of Water Quality in Catalonia. Thematic network (1999/XT/0037, 2001/XT/00030, 2003/XT/0069) *MLNET, MLNET2 – Machine Learning Network of Excellence (ESPRIT 29288) *AgentLink, AgentLink II, AgentLink III – Network of Excellence for Agent-Based Computing (IST-1999-29003) *Artificial Intelligence in Catalonia. Thematic network (1996/XT/0031)

Awards

* Ulises Cortés: "Premio ESTYLF 2012". Recognizing 25 years working in fuzzy logic. * Jorge Rodas: "Knowledge Discovery in repeated and very short serial measures with a blocking factor". 2002 Premio Chihuahua. Advisors: Dr. Karina Gibert & Dr. Emilio Rojo. * Javier Vázquez: "The role of norms and electronic institutions in multi-agent systems applied to complex domains the harmonia framework". 2003 ECCAI Artificial Intelligence Dissertation Award. Advisor: Prof Ulises Cortés * Cristina Urdiales: "CARMEN (Collaborative Autonomous Robot for Mobility ENhancement)". 2010 ECCAI Artificial Intelligence Dissertation Award. Also awarded with the VODAFONE SPAIN Foundation Award for Best Doctoral Thesis in ICT Accessibility and Personal Autonomy (2012). This award was given in the XXXII edition of Telecommunication Engineers Awards, organized by the Official Association of Telecommunication Engineers. Advisor: Prof Ulises Cortés * Miquel Sànchez-Marrè: ** ''Accesit'' of the Oms i De Prat 1991 Prize, granted by Caixa de Manresa, in the field of Experimental and Applied Sciences for the Master's Thesis entitled, DEPUR: an Application of Knowledge-Based Systems to Wastewater Treatment Plants Diagnosis (1991). ** Elected Fellow of the International Environmental Modelling and Software society (iEMSs), 2005 * Karina Gibert: Elected Fellow of the International Environmental Modelling and Software society (iEMSs), 2007

Accreditations

* Consolidated Research Group – AGAUR (2009SGR 1365). Generalitat of Catalonia. From October 2009 to October 2012. * Consolidated Research Group – AGAUR (2005SGR 0001). Generalitat of Catalonia. From May 2005 to May 2008.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knowledge Engineering And Machine Learning Group Research institutes in Catalonia Artificial intelligence associations Science and technology in Catalonia Education in Catalonia