Knowledge Engineering and Machine Learning Group

Knowledge Engineering and Machine Learning group

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Established	1988
Field of research	Artificial Intelligence
Director	Karina Gibert
Faculty	Technical University of Catalonia (UPC) - Barcelona'''Tech'''
Staff	2 postdoctoral researchers
Students	8 doctoral students
Alumni	47
Address	Omega Building 201-207. 1-3 Jordi Girona st., 08034
Location	Barcelona
Campus	UPC Campus Nord
Website	https://www.kemlg.upc.edu

The Knowledge Engineering and Machine Learning group (KEMLg) is a research group belonging to the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC) - BarcelonaTech. It was founded by Prof. Ulises Cortés. The group has been active in the Artificial Intelligence field since 1986.

The main goal of this research group is the analysis, design, implementation and application of several Artificial Intelligence techniques, to support the operation or behaviour analysis of real-world complex systems or domains. Research is focused on the analysis, design, management or supervision of these domains, such as in the health and medical field, in environmental processes and systems, and in the industrial and enterprise sector.

Specific research efforts are undertaken in analysis and development of intelligent agents, understanding of coalition setting dynamics, social structure dynamics analysis, formal model construction for norms and conventions for e-commerce, information flow process design, temporal episode-based reasoning, experience-based argumentation techniques, hybrid methods in Statistics and Artificial Intelligence, belief or Bayesian networks, Case-based reasoning, knowledge-based systems, supervised and unsupervised machine learning techniques, knowledge model identification and knowledge model building, knowledge representation, ontologies, social networks, semantic Web, Web services, and directory service study.

One of the major area of application-expertise is in the development of Environmental Decision Support Systems (EDSS) using Artificial Intelligence Techniques. In particular, since 1990 research has been done in the area of Urban Wastewater Treatment Plants (WWTP), and more specifically on those that have as a technological basis the activated sludge.

Research lines

Their main research lines include:

• Knowledge representation, ontologies, the semantic Web and Web services;
• Recommendation systems;
• Software agents, electronic institutions and Multi-agent systems;
• Intelligent decision support systems;
• Machine Learning/Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining;
• Bayesian networks;
• Case-based reasoning;
• Knowledge-based systems;
• Knowledge acquisition and Knowledge discovery from structural analysis;
• Simulation and analytical models.
• Assistive Technologies for the elders. Intelligent assistive tools as the i-Walker have been developed.

Network memberships

These are the networks of excellence and thematic networks the group belongs to:

• ATICA - Spanish Network for the Advance and Transfer of Applied Computational Intelligence (TIN2011-14083-E)
• Data Mining and Machine Learning Spanish Network (TIC2002-11124-E)
• KDNET - Knowledge Discovery Network of Excellence (IST-2001-33086)
• Fluvial Basin Integral Management. Thematic network (2003/XT/00045)
• Monitoring and Modelling as a Support Tools for the Improvement of Water Quality in Catalonia. Thematic network (1999/XT/0037, 2001/XT/00030, 2003/XT/0069)
• MLNET, MLNET2 - Machine Learning Network of Excellence (ESPRIT 29288)
• AgentLink, AgentLink II, AgentLink III - Network of Excellence for Agent-Based Computing (IST-1999-29003)
• Artificial Intelligence in Catalonia. Thematic network (1996/XT/0031)

Awards

• Ulises Cortés: "Premio ESTYLF 2012". Recognizing 25 years working in Fuzzy Logic.
• Jorge Rodas: "Knowledge Discovery in repeated and very short serial measures with a blocking factor". 2002 Premio Chihuahua. Advisors: Dr. Karina Gibert & Dr. Emilio Rojo.
• Javier Vázquez: "THE ROLE OF NORMS AND ELECTRONIC INSTITUTIONS IN MULTI-AGENT SYSTEMS APPLIED TO COMPLEX DOMAINS THE HARMONIA FRAMEWORK". 2003 ECCAI Artificial Intelligence Dissertation Award. Advisor: Prof Ulises Cortés
• Cristina Urdiales: "CARMEN (Collaborative Autonomous Robot for Mobility ENhancement)". 2010 ECCAI Artificial Intelligence Dissertation Award. Also awarded with the VODAFONE SPAIN Foundation Award for Best Doctoral Thesis in ICT Accessibility and Personal Autonomy (2012). This award was given in the XXXII edition of Telecommunication Engineers Awards, organised by the Official Association of Telecommunication Engineers. Advisor: Prof Ulises Cortés
• Miquel Sànchez-Marrè:
  • Accesit of the Oms i De Prat 1991 Prize, granted by Caixa de Manresa, in the field of Experimental and Applied Sciences for the Master's Thesis entitled, DEPUR: an Application of Knowledge-Based Systems to Wastewater Treatment Plants Diagnosis (1991).
  • Elected Fellow of the International Environmental Modelling and Software society (iEMSs), 2005
• Karina Gibert: Elected Fellow of the International Environmental Modelling and Software society (iEMSs), 2007

Accreditations

• Consolidated Research Group - AGAUR (2009SGR 1365). Generalitat of Catalonia. From October 2009 to October 2012.
• Consolidated Research Group - AGAUR (2005SGR 0001). Generalitat of Catalonia. From May 2005 to May 2008.

External links

• Official page