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Bayesian Network Process

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What Are "Bayesian Network Models?"

A Bayesian network (BN) is simply a way of showing how things interact and cause specific outcomes.


Why Use BNs?

Decision criteria can be represented in a variety of ways ... plain text guidelines, or with "decision trees," fuzzy logic models, or other means. BNs have several key advantages over other tools:

  • BNs can explicitly layout parameters in a decision process.
  • BNs explicitly depict uncertainty as probabilities, which can fit well in risk analysis and risk management frameworks.
  • BNs can be used to help identify key factors that most influence some outcome of interest, to help prioritize monitoring or research.

For Further Exploration

Where can you learn more about BN structures and such? Here are a few links for the ambitious learner:


Guidelines & Consideration for Developing, Testing, and Documenting Bayesian Network Models


Bruce G. Marcot, Ph.D. Research Profile

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