Context and Case-Based Reasoning

Abstract

Case-based reasoning (CBR) is fundamentally context-based. CBR’s basic principles reflect that reasoning must be done in context, and context is reflected throughout the CBR process. This chapter begins by highlighting how the importance of context is reflected in three key CBR tenets. It then samples two sides of CBR and context. First, it considers the role of context within the CBR process itself, sketching how context drives CBR processing, for internal CBR tasks such as case retrieval, similarity assessment, case delineation and elaboration. Second, it considers applications of CBR for context-aware systems. It then proposes directions for enriching the treatment of context within the CBR process. It closes with a case study of research on one of those directions, increasing the context-sensitivity of case adaptation.