Our Technology

SpotLight is a decision support and knowledge management tool that utilizes past experience.

SpotLight’s primary role is to assist in the solving of complex problems (eg. diagnosing equipment failures). SpotLight guides the user to the solution to their problem by asking astute, to-the-point questions (just like consulting an expert). SpotLight reasons on its knowledgebase of solved problems (called cases) for ones that are similar. The similar cases are presented to the user in ranked order together with additional questions. The user may review the cases for the one that best matches their current problem, or answer more questions. With each answer, SpotLight reasons-on-the-fly to cull and re-rank the list. Once the user finds the best match, they can access the material that is stored with the case – root causes, repair instructions, tips, explanations, contacts and links to related information.

SpotLight’s other role is to capture and preserve the problem-solving knowledge in the organization. And to accomplish this transparently and efficiently. Knowledge is added to the structured knowledgebase (called a casebase) in two ways. Initially a seed casebase is built utilizing historical data (such as maintenance records and service incident reports). Subsequently, when the user finds a problem with no matching case, then SpotLight facilitates the problem resolution by sharing the diagnostic session with others (eg. specialists). Once the team has solved the problem, all the relevant information, including user input captured transparently during the session, is easily developed into new case.

The core technology behind SpotLight is “Case-Based Reasoning” (CBR).  CaseBank’s patented extensions to CBR set it apart from other CBR products in the marketplace when it comes to providing intelligent decision support in complex environments.

Case-Based Reasoning is ideal for specific complex problem-solving applications.  Of all decision support methodologies, the one that most closely mimicks the natural approach of experienced experts – rapid recall of previous experiences and quick assessment of similarity to, or difference from, the situation confronting them - is Case-Based Reasoning (CBR).  CBR is a branch of “Artificial Intelligence” that reasons about possible solutions to a current problem based on stored instances of solutions to past problems.

Our case-based reasoning engine, SpotLight, finds the solution quickly.  SpotLight, an advanced case-base reasoning system, intelligently stores, organises and retrieves prior experiences for re-use when a similar problem re-occurs.  SpotLight asks pertinent questions to differentiate among possible cases, then highlights the cases in its case-base that best fit the problem.  SpotLight requires no computer skills -- the user simply picks the symptoms that best describe the current problem. By identifying successful prior experiences that are similar to the one presented by the user, the system provides a short cut to the most likely solutions. 

SpotLight’s questions are sensible.  SpotLight not only retrieves relevant cases, but it presents its discriminating questions to the technician in a highly efficient diagnostic order, considering the ease of getting the answer to each question, the likelihood of the cases it is considering, and the basic similarity of each case to the symptoms provided.  As a result, SpotLight asks questions in an order that expert technicians agree is sensible.

SpotLight software is the same for every application – only the case-base is customized for each application.  The SpotLight system has two main components: the database or "case-base" for an application, and the reasoning engine software that searches the case-base and interacts with the user. Previously solved problems and their solutions are stored as "cases" in the "case-base". The content of a SpotLight case-base is quality controlled and validated by experts.  Each case documents the entire set of symptoms that were experienced as a result of the problem, the offending root cause of the problem, and known, successful corrective actions. 

SpotLight captures new information without burdening the technician. During a diagnostic session using SpotLight, only cases relevant to the problem are presented to the technician.  After a successful search, it takes only moments for a technician to establish if the information contained in SpotLight is relevant to the problem at hand.   If the current problem is not in the case-base, SpotLight retains all responses to its questions and automatically begins the process of collating information for a potential new case to be developed. Effectively, SpotLight has surreptitiously conducted an interview of the technician as to how this new problem is similar to, yet different from, everything the case-base already knows. 

Full set of tools for case-base development and growth - keeping up-to-date.  CaseBank has a full set of tools for case-base developers and maintainers. Initially, a “seed case-base” is built, through a review, and forensic reconstruction of maintenance event records, where each type of fault, and its eventual solution, is captured as a structured case-history within the SpotLight system.  In day-to-day use, SpotLight automatically captures discriminating information about all new problems.  When followed up, and their ultimate solutions documented, these new cases ensure the continual growth and enhancement of the knowledge-base, steadily increasing its breadth and value.  When a new case is completed, subject matter experts review it.  As a result, only high quality, fully audited and approved cases make it into the system.  In this way the integrity of the case-base remains high, and its contents remain concise and relevant.

Not all CBR systems are created equal.  CaseBank’s SpotLight was engineered specifically on complex, multi-configured equipment under the scrutiny of time-pressured technical experts.  One Canadian and two U.S. patents cover the Company’s core technology.  In fact, we at CaseBank are our own harshest critics, because our staff use our own products to deliver diagnostic knowledge management services for some of the world’s most sophisticated companies.

CaseBank’s SpotLight offers many benefits – see The Benefits.

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