Toward a framework for the specification of hybrid fuzzy modeling

During the few last years, several successful approaches for the integration of soft computing techniques have been proposed in the area of data-driven fuzzy modeling (DDFM). However, there is a lack of methodological and general purpose hybridization in an easy and unified manner. This work outlines the design of a new DDFM framework called METHOD, offering the functionalities needed to combine techniques into hybrid strategies for DDFM tasks. Bearing in mind our main goal, a previous analysis of several existing DDFM techniques helps us: (1) to identify the most usual interaction schemes, by means of which methods are combined into DDFM hybrid strategies; (2) to exemplify requirements and effects for different techniques determining suitable combinations; and (3) to establish the universe of discourse based on which of these requirements and effect are defined. All these ideas are illustrated with examples. (C) 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.