Development of an Expert System for Automated Forensic mtDNA Data Analysis

The objective of this project is to create an expert system that will automate the routine and repetitive tasks in interpretation of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence analysis, thereby improving laboratory efficiency and the speed of data analysis. Expert system software will be developed to fully automate the analysis of high quality mtDNA data. When the expert system is unable to complete the automated analysis of "challenged data," the software will direct the analyst to the specific area for review and serve as a decision support tool, aiding the analyst in resolving the data and delivering a result, or to direct the analyst for reanalysis. nca/ncf