Application of Dezert-Smarandache Theory of Paradoxical Reasoning in PLIR Systems

This paper describes the usage of a new theory for combining various evidence provided by Plausible inferences in Information Retrieval (PLIR). PLIR is an experimental information retrieval system based on applying human like inferences, with plausible reasoning, for inferring relevancy of a document to a user’s query. It’s often more than one inference; hence many evidence concluding the relevancy with different degrees of uncertainty. The Current method used is Depmster-Shafer (DS) theory of evidence for combining the evidences. This paper highlights a few problems that rise when using DS, and then as a remedy Dezert- Smarandache’s theory is introduced.

Keywords:

Plausible Reasoning , Dezert-Smarandache theory , Dempseter- Shafer theory , Information Retrieval