Applying Computational Intelligence : How to Create Value

In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is. Jan L. A. van de Snepscheut The?ow of academic ideas in the area of computational intelligence has penetrated industry with tremendous speed and persistence. Thousands of applications have proved the practical potential of fuzzy logic, neural networks, evolutionary com- tation, swarm intelligence, and intelligent agents even before their theoretical foundation is completely understood. And the popularity is rising. Some software vendors have pronounced the new machine learning gold rush to “Transfer Data into Gold”. New buzzwords like “data mining”, “genetic algorithms”, and “swarm optimization” have enriched the top executives'vocabulary to make them look more “visionary” for the 21st century. The phrase “fuzzy math” became political jargon after being used by US President George W. Bush in one of the election debates in the campaign in 2000. Even process operators are discussing the perf- mance of neural networks with the same passion as the performance of the Dallas Cowboys. However, for most of the engineers and scientists introducing computational intelligence technologies into practice, looking at the growing number of new approaches, and understanding their theoretical principles and potential for value creation becomes a more and more dif?cult task.

The flow of academic ideas in the area of computational intelligence is impacting industrial practice at considerable speed. Practitioners face the challenge of tracking, understanding and applying the latest techniques, which often prove their value even before the underlying theories are fully understood. This book offers realistic guidelines on creating value from the application of computational intelligence methods.

In Part I, the author offers simple explanations of the key computational intelligence technologies: fuzzy logic, neural networks, support vector machines, evolutionary computation, swarm intelligence, and intelligent agents. In Part II, he defines the typical business environment and analyzes the competitive advantages these techniques offer. In Part III, he introduces a methodology for effective real-world application of computational intelligence while minimizing development cost, and he outlines the critical, underestimated technology marketing efforts required. The methodology can improve the existing capabilities of Six Sigma, one of the most popular work processes in industry. Finally, in Part IV the author looks to technologies still in the research domain, such as perception-based computing, artificial immune systems, and systems with evolved structure, and he examines the future for computational intelligence applications while taking into account projected industrial needs.

The author adopts a light tone in the book, visualizes many of the techniques and ideas, and supports the text with notes from successful implementations. The book is ideal for engineers implementing these techniques in the real world, managers charged with creating value and reducing costs in the related industries, and scientists in computational intelligence looking towards the application of their research.

In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is. Jan L. A. van de Snepscheut The ?ow of academic ideas in the area of computational intelligence has penetrated industry with tremendous speed and persistence. Thousands of applications have proved the practical potential of fuzzy logic, neural networks, evolutionary com- tation, swarm intelligence, and intelligent agents even before their theoretical foundation is completely understood. And the popularity is rising. Some software vendors have pronounced the new machine learning gold rush to Transfer Data into Gold. New buzzwords like data mining, genetic algorithms, and swarm optimization have enriched the top executives vocabulary to make them look more visionary for the 21st century. The phrase fuzzy math became political jargon after being used by US President George W. Bush in one of the election debates in the campaign in 2000. Even process operators are discussing the perf- mance of neural networks with the same passion as the performance of the Dallas Cowboys. However, for most of the engineers and scientists introducing computational intelligence technologies into practice, looking at the growing number of new approaches, and understanding their theoretical principles and potential for value creation becomes a more and more dif?cult task.