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[Manipulation | Learning from
Data | Glossary | References ]
This document describes software for manipulating graphical
belief function models, and related modes such as Bayesian
networks, influence
diagrams, and probabilistic
graphical models. The Graphical-Belief
Demo pages have a fairly good description of belief nets and how they could
be used. Prevision also maintains Bayes Net FAQ. This page
only describes software which manipulates existing models. Software which fits
these models from data is described in the learning belief
networks pages.
Each entry on this list contains information about features of the software
and contact information. Pricing information includes the date the price was
last updated as this information may vary from time to time. Hyperlinks take you
demo versions (or actual software for free software) when it is available
on-line.
A key to terms used in
the feature lists and a list of references are
available below.
Several people have inquired about the availability of examples for use with
belief network software. Norsys maintains a Library of Networks to
Download in their Netica
ascii format which contains many of the tired, overworked examples we all know
and love plus a few new ones. A working group centered at Microsoft has proposed
a Bayesian
Network Standard, but it has not yet been widely adopted.
Packages reviewed in this document:
"+" indicates new since last version "*" indicates changed since last version
This is version 1.4.
Software in this first list is free for
educational and research purposes. In some cases it may be more freely used.
Each listing includes any restrictions on the use of the software.
Hypertext links to the actual software or product descriptions are provided
where available.
- Features:
- Probabilities,
Tree-shaped
Bayesian Networks only
- Lacks:
- Belief
Functions, Utilities,
Networks,
Parameter
Uncertainty.
- Restrictions:
- Unknown
- Platforms:
- MS DOS
- To obtain:
- CMU
AI repository
[Return to Table
Of Contents]
- Features:
- Probabilities/Belief
Functions, Parameter
Uncertainty
- Lacks:
- Utilities,
GUI
- Platforms supported:
- Common Lisp (CLtL 2)
- Restrictions:
- No resale.
- To obtain:
- CMU
Artificial Intelligence Library
- Contact:
- Russell
Almond (almond@acm.org)
- References:
- Almond
[1995]
[Return to Table
Of Contents]
- Features:
- Probabilities,
Utilities,
Influence
Diagrams
- Lacks:
- Parameter
Uncertainty, Belief
Functions
- Platforms supported:
- Common Lisp (CLIM based GUI
available)
- Restrictions:
- ``research (non-commercial) purposes'' only
- Contact:
- Ideal-Request (ideal-request@rpal.rockwell.com)
Rockwell International Science Center
- More Information:
- IDEAL WWW page
- References:
- Srinivas and
Breese [1990]
[Return to Table
Of Contents]
- Features:
- Probabilities,
Belief
Functions.
- Lacks:
- Utilities.
- Restrictions:
- No resale.
- Platforms supported:
- Macintosh
- To Obtain:
- Send unformatted 3.5" disk to:
Prakash P. Shenoy
School of Business
University of Kansas
Summerfield Hall
Lawrence, KS 66045-2003 USA
- Contact:
- Prakash P. Shenoy (P-shenoy@ukans.edu)
- Refereneces:
- Hsia
and Shenoy [1989]
[Return to Table
Of Contents]
- Features:
- Probabilities,
Utilities,
Influence
Diagrams, Standard
Rulebase.
- Lacks:
- Belief
Functions. Restricted to single decision influence diagram.
- Restrictions:
- Non-Commercial uses, License Required
- Platforms supported:
- Windows 95, Windows NT
- To Obtain:
- Description
and Instructions.
- Contact:
- Microsoft Decision Theory Group (mailto:dtg-msbn@microsoft.com)
[Return to Table
Of Contents]
- Features:
- Probabilities,
Belief
Functions, Possibilities,
GUI
- Lacks:
- Utilities.
- Future Plans:
- Port to C with GUI (Mac, and X11).
- Restrictions:
- Research non-commercial use *only*
- Platforms supported:
- Common Lisp (CLtL1)
(GUI in Allegro CL).
- To Obtain:
- Common
Lisp Version, Project Home Page
- Contact:
- Alessandro
Saffiotti (asaffio@ulb.ac.be)
IRIDIA, Universite
Libre de Bruxelles
50 av. F. Roosevelt, BP 194-6
1050 Brussels, Belgium
- References:
- Saffiotti
and Umkehrer [1991a], Saffiotti
and Umkehrer [1991b], Saffiotti,
Parsons and Umkehrer [1994], Saffiotti and
Umkehrer [1994].
[Return to Table
Of Contents]
- Features:
- Probabilities,
- Lacks:
- Belief
Functions, Utilities,
GUI.
- Restrictions:
- None
- Platforms supported:
- MIT
Scheme
- To Obtain:
- Description, Software
- Contact:
- Nicolas Thiéry at nthiery@uci.edu
[Return to Table
Of Contents]
- Features:
- Probabilities,
Local
Expression Language Utilities,
Explanation,
Dynamic
Models, GUI.
- Lacks:
- Belief
Functions, Documentation.
- Restrictions:
- Research only, no resale.
- Platforms supported:
- Common Lisp (Tcl/Tk Front end).
- To Obtain:
- Description
(Postscript) , Software
- Contact:
- Bruce D'Ambrosio (dambrosi@research.CS.ORST.EDU)
[Return to Table
Of Contents]
- Features:
- Belief
Functions, GUI
- Lacks:
- Probabilities
- Future Plans:
- Port to C with GUI (Mac, and X11), Utilities.
See also Pulcinella.
- Restrictions:
- Research non-commercial use *only*
- Platforms supported:
- Allegro Common Lisp (CLtL1)
- To Obtain:
- Common
Lisp Version
- Contact:
- Hong Xu (hongxu@ulb.ac.be)
IRIDIA, Universite
Libre de Bruxelles
50 av. F. Roosevelt, BP 194-6
1050 Brussels, Belgium
- References:
- Xu
[1991], Xu and Kennes
[1994], Xu [1993].
[Return to Table
Of Contents]
- Features:
- Probabilities,
Chain
Graphs Utilities,
- Future Plans:
- Model
Criticism, Learning,
Gaussian
Variables.
- Lacks:
- Belief
Functions.
- Restrictions:
- No resale.
- To Obtain:
- Available for: DEC
Alpha, DEC Ultrix, HP, SUN Sparc, and SUN Sparc help PC Windows.
- Contact:
- xbaies-list@stats.ucl.ac.uk
(Robert Cowell)
[Return to Table
Of Contents]
- Educational Version:
- DX
Solution Series now offers a free license to academic users for
non-commercial purposes.
- Restrictions:
- License Required
[Return to Table
Of Contents]
- Features:
- Probabilities,
simulation and exact (SPI) algorithms, GUI.
- Lacks:
- Belief
Functions, Utilities.
- Platforms supported:
- IBM PC/Windows 3.0 or greater, C++
- Restrictions:
- License Required
- Price:
- Pre-release (1994)
- Demo:
- (free on request)
- Contact:
- KC Associates
6512 Sunny Hill Ct.
McLean, VA 22101-1639
703-993-1639
kchang@gmu.edu
[Return to Table
Of Contents]
- Features:
- Hierarchical Influence
Diagrams, Parameter
Uncertainty, links to spreadsheets and simulations.
- Lacks:
- Belief
Functions.
- Future Plans:
- A successor system called Analytica is now under development. See the Lumina Decision Systems for current
information.
- Platforms supported:
- Macintosh, Windows (runtime version).
- Price:
- $695 (1996)
- Demo:
- More information
(see instructions for obtaining demo at that site).
- Contact:
- Lumina Decision Systems
4894 El
Camino Real, Suite 105
Los Altos, CA 94022
800-9LUMINA
FAX:
415-254-0292
support@lumina.com
- References:
- List of
References on Demos and Decision analysis.
[Return to Table
Of Contents]
- Features:
- Probabilities,
API programming interface, development and runtime GUIs Utilities.
- Lacks:
- Belief
Functions, Parameter
Uncertainty.
- Platforms supported:
- Windows 3.1, NT, 95, C++
- Restrictions:
- License Required, Free to academic users for non-commercial, research
purposes
- Price:
- contact KI
- Demo:
- Is available from the KI web site.
- Contact:
- Knowledge Industries, Inc.
350 Cambridge Avenue.
Palo Alto, CA
94306
Voice: 415-321-0400
FAX: 415-322-3554
ki@kic.com
- References:
- Horvitz,
Breese, and Henrion [1988].
[Return to Table
Of Contents]
- Features:
- Probabilities.
- Lacks:
- Belief
Functions, Utilities,
Parameter
Uncertainty.
- Platforms supported:
- Mac, Windows (New)
- Restrictions:
- License Required
- Price:
- $800 (1996)
- Demo:
- Ergo Macintosh Demo
(binhex, 655041 bytes) , Ergo Windows Demo
(self-installing executable, 494496 bytes)
- Contact:
- Noetic Systems, Inc.
2504
Maryland Ave.
Baltimore, MD 21218--4545
Voice: 410-889-4079
FAX:
410-889-4183
info@noeticsystems.com
- Reference:
- Mislevy
[1993]
[Return to Table
Of Contents]
- Features:
- Valuations
(Probabilities/Belief
Functions), Parameter
Uncertainty, Knowledge
Based Model Construction
- Future Plans:
- Utilities,
Learning.
- Platforms supported:
- Unix Workstations, Common Lisp
- Restrictions:
- License Required
- Price:
- Pre-release beta version available soon.
- Demo:
- Walkthrough
including many screen shots.
- Contact:
- Russell Almond (almond@acm.org) or
George Mellman (gmellman@statsci.com StatSci (MathSoft,
Inc.)
1700 Westlake Ave. N
Seattle, WA 98109
206-283-8802
- References:
- Almond
[1995], Almond,
Bradshaw and Madigan [1994].
[Return to Table
Of Contents]
- Features:
- Probabilities,
Utilities,
model
criticism, parameter
uncertainty, chain
graphs.
- Lacks:
- Belief
Functions,
- Platforms supported:
- Unix Workstations, Windows
- Restrictions:
- License Required
- Price:
- Explorer 3000 ECU (1996) (US $ 3840 5/96)
Professional 7500 ECU (1996)
(US $ 9600 5/96)
Academic discount 66.6%, check product list for more complete
pricing information.
- Demo:
- Sun/Sun OS, Sun/Solaris
Windows 95
WWW Home Page or Alternate URL
- Contact:
- Hugin Expert A/S
Niels Jernes Vej 10
DK-9220 Aaloborg
DENMARK
+45 9815 6644
FAX: +45 9815 8550
info@hugin.dk
- References:
- Lauritzen and
Spiegelhalter [1988], Andersen
et al. [1989]. Hugin Home Page
[Return to Table
Of Contents]
- Features:
- Probabilities,
Utilities,
Influence
Diagrams, API.
- Lacks:
- Belief
Functions, Parameter
Uncertainty.
- Future Plans:
- More advanced learning, integration with Case Based Reasoning, real-time
control
- Platforms supported:
- Application on Macintosh, Windows (summer 96), Unix (next year)
API
available on all platforms.
- Restrictions:
- License Required
- Price:
- Netica:
Commercial $1185 (Introductory $585, 5/96) Educational/Personal
$585 (Introductory $285)
Disks and Manuals are $45 extra.
Netica
API:
Commercial $1385 (Introductory $685, 5/96) Educational/Personal $585
(Introductory $285)
Disks and Manuals are $45 extra.
- Demo:
-
- More Information:
- Home Page , Netica , Netica API , Network Library.
- Contact:
- Brent Boerlage (mailto:boerlage@norsys.com) Norsys Software Corp.
2315
Dunbar St.
Vancouver, BC, Canada
V6R 3N1
norsys_info@norsys.com
[Return to Table
Of Contents]
- Features:
- Probabilities,
Conditional Queries, Utilities,
Local
Interactions (eg, noisy-or), Asymmetries, Contingencies.
- Lacks:
- Belief
Functions,
- Platforms supported:
- Windows 3.1/95/NT (C++ API only available for Unix and (maybe?)Mac)
- Restrictions:
- License Required
- Price:
- Educational: $0 ECU (1996) (US $0 5/96) (research only)
Professional:
contact
Prevision for more
complete pricing information.
- Demo projected summer '96 (API available now):
- ScreenShots,
- Contact:
- Prevision
1947 NW Garryanna St.
Corvallis, OR 97330
USA
541
754 0569
FAX: 541 757 0976
dambrosi@prevision.com
- References:
- SPI bibliography .
[Return to Table
Of Contents]
Other Resources
Check out the Air Force Institute of Technology, Artificial Intelligence Laboratory page
on Bayesian
Networks.
Over the web you should check out the Carnegie Mellon
Artificial Intelligence Repository. Look under the topic reasonng/probabl/) or mail server: ai+query@cs.cmu.edu. Some of the things in
this package (including Bayes and BELIEF) are available on CD-rom from:
Prime Time Freeware
370 Altair Way, Suite 150
Sunnyvale,
CA 94086, USA
Tel: +1 408-433-9662
Fax: +1 408-433-0727
E-mail: ptf@cfcl.com
The Association for Uncertainty in Artificial
Intelligence is frequented by many researchers using graphical models.
The Society For
Artificial Intelligence and Statistics serves a lot of people interested in
graphical models.
Also check out the Decision/Risk
Analysis page and the Decision
Net server.
[Manipulation | Learning from
Data | Glossary | References ]
This list is maintained by Russell G.
Almond.
Software for Belief Networks / almond@acm.org
Please send me any updates, corrections, omissions or suggestions for
improvement. This is version 1.4 (3/2/95), so please bear with any mistakes. (As
this is just a minor bug fix since the last release, I've left the "new" and
"changed" markers from the 1.0 to 1.3 updagrade.) The next version should
include information of model fitting software. Please send contributions to me.
Thanks to David Madigan and
the University of Washington
Statistics Department for hosting this Web page.
Last modified: Mon Aug 12 16:56:49 1996