Toward a second generation of an automatic product coding system

公司3CE向他们的客户提供半自动分类系统，它可以为用户提供从产品描述到适当的HS(协调系统)代码的最少数量的问题。例如，在“瓷砖”中，系统将询问它是“建筑产品”还是“地板覆盖物”，因为这将导致两个略有不同的代码(69.03或69.05)。或者来自“鸡”，它将询问它是否活着，如果它活着，它有多重，因为这些因素将影响结果代码。3CE的在线系统包含一个很好的用户界面，已经对进口商非常有帮助，但3CE正在寻求进一步扩大他们的业务并继续增长，为此，在这个合作研究项目中，他们希望解决两个挑战。

The company 3CE offers to their clients, a semi-automatic classification system, which leads users with a minimal number of questions, from their product description to the appropriate HS (Harmonized System) code. For example, from "ceramic tiles", the system will ask whether it is a "constructional good" or a "floor covering" as these would lead to two slightly different codes (69.03 or 69.05). Or from "chicken" it will ask whether it is alive or not, and if it is alive how much does it weigh, as these factors will influence the resulting code. 3CE's online system contains a nice user interface and is already very helpful to importers, but 3CE is looking further to expand their business and continue growing, and for doing so, in this collaborative research project, they wish to address two challenges.