The process of redistricting involves the division of a land surface into two or more pieces. In a political setting, the districts thus formed provide groups of voters that elect the same public officials. Other types of redistricting applications include the formation of school districts, transportation districts, or water management districts. / In this work we propose a knowledge-based expert system prototype as a solution to the redistricting problem. A number of key issues are addressed by the solution, including equality of population, contiguity, and graphical display of possible districts. In addition, we explore the need for dynamic user interaction within knowledge-based systems and outline a method (the Grouper approach) for dramatically reducing the complexity of the redistricting problem by restricting activity to a specific level of detail. / The prototype solution, a PC-based system implemented using Tecknowledge's M.1 expert system shell, is described in depth with particular emphasis on techniques for minimizing search. An annotated Grouper session is included, as are listings of the knowledge base and supporting C functions. Lastly, there is a discussion of the far-reaching significance of the redistricting problem and promising uses or extensions of the Grouper system in this regard. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 51-12, Section: B, page: 5975. / Major Professor: Abe Kandel. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1990.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_78400 |
| Contributors | Leach, Stephen P., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 121 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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