A Knowledge Extraction Platform for Reproducible Decision-Support from Multi-Objective Optimization Data

Abstract

Simulation and optimization enables companies to take decision based on data, and allows prescriptive analysis of current and future production scenarios, creating a competitive edge. However, it can be difficult to visualize and extract knowledge from the large amounts of data generated by a many-objective optimization genetic algorithm, especially with conflicting objectives. Existing tools offer capabilities for extracting knowledge in the form of clusters, rules, and connections. Although powerful, most existing software is proprietary and is therefore difficult to obtain, modify, and deploy, as well as for facilitating a reproducible workflow. We propose an open-source web-based application using commonly available packages in the R programming language to extract knowledge from data generated from simulation-based optimization. This application is then verified by replicating the experimental methodology of a peer-reviewed paper on knowledge extraction. Finally, further work is also discussed, focusing on method improvements and reproducible results.