The research goal of Extenics is to establish formal theories and methods of contradictory problems processing, so that people can follow certain procedures to generate ideas, to approach or solve contradictory problems, which are referred to as strategies. It studies the reasoning methods and technology that computer can operate, so that computer can help people to solve contradictory problems. Starting from the 1990s, researchers of Extenics study the foundation work that combines the basic theory and methods of Extenics and computer technology to generate strategies, and they have been studying the corresponding computer experimental software since the beginning of this century. In this way, the basic theories and methods of extension strategy generation system are gradually formed, and have been applied to certain domain for strategy generation and achieved good results.

1.Necessity of researching strategies generation

The strategy generation is one difficult part in decision science. With the development of social economy and constant progress of the information technology, the decision-making system has become increasingly complex. There are more and more parameters to be considered. Alternative policy is difficult to count. The decision-making only depends on the human brain appears palely and weakly. Use computers to generate and evaluate strategy have become the only way of scientific and intelligent decision-making. On this issue, the domestic and foreign researches are still insufficient. After investigation, we found out that its reason is in two aspects: First, the basic theory of strategy generation is not mature enough. Second, the models and methods of using computer for strategy generation are still need to be studied.

For many years, people introduce "decision support system", “group decision support system”, "expert systems", "genetic algorithm", "neural network", "intelligent agent", and “management information systems” to support decision-making. But these systems can only play the assistant role in decision-making. In the strategy production aspect, there is no essential breakthrough. Therefore, the study on new strategies is imperative.

In the following projects of National Natural Science Foundation of China: “Study on rules to address the issue of conflicts in decision system”, “Transforming bridge theory and method”, "Key strategy generating method and coordination issues", "Extension plan basic theory and method study", “Extension strategy production system elementary theory and essential method research”, we undertaken preliminary exploration of combining strategy generation, Extenics, and computer technology. Through these research projects, we found out that:

(1) Combining Extenics, decision science with artificial intelligence, using computer to generate strategy and evaluate strategy is an important means of raising the decision-making level of the decision- makers and machine intelligence. It is also the only way of scientific decision-making. This research has important practical value in management, control, detection, information, etc. It is a cross-cutting research project of decision-making science, artificial intelligence and Extenics. Despite of all the difficulties, we must spare no efforts to explore new ways.

(2) In view of the extension model taking into account quantitative relations, the quality and characteristics of things, and also describes the extensibility of things, using the extension model as the strategy generation formalized tool is more reasonable and feasible than the mathematical model, which makes it easier for computer operation, as well as man-machine combination to deal with more complex issues.

(3) As computer experts point out, “At present the knowledge that most knowledge systems and expert systems have been superficial. In order to solve complex problems, the knowledge-base systems must address the storage, representation and processing issues for deep knowledge. With deeper knowledge we can improve the problem solving ability and flexibility. ” On the other hand, traditional knowledge base and expert system are characterized by solving the compatibility problem, not the problem of incompatibility. To speed up the research process and seek new ways, and make our country walk in the forefront of the world in using computer to generate strategy, is a question that worth discussing thoroughly.

Thus, the study of Extension Strategy Generating System (in short ESGS) has important scientific value in developing decision science and artificial intelligence. Developing the corresponding practical software has practical value to the application of scientific decision in every profession and trade in the national economy.

2．The basic steps of extension strategy generating

Using formal tools, extension theory studies the laws and methods of solving contradictory problems qualitatively and quantitatively. It provides a new tool for ESGS, which focuses on research "to solve complex dynamic system contradictions", to store, represent and process deep knowledge.

The study objects of Extenics are objective contradictions in the world. At present, we have established a model for problem formal description, and took advantage of the extensibility of things and extension transformation to establish the extension method and extension engineering method for solving problems. In Extenics, tools to solve problems are the extension transforms. The foundation of set theory is the extension set. Its core is to make "I wonder become I know", "no turns into yes", "not all right to turn into all right ", "not belong become belong to", etc. If the computer can use them to deal with dynamic changes in natural things, to innovate and generate strategies, and use extension transformation to resolve contradictions, the intellectual level of the machine will be improved greatly.

The major steps of extension strategy generating are as follows:

Step 1: Establish extension models of the problem, and carry on the abstraction of information on this basis.

To research strategy generation technology, it is essential to extract useful information first. That is, to use the base-element as extension knowledge representation system to specify existing data. According to request, build the foundation database, known as base-element base.

Step 2. Set up incidence function and calculate correlation degree of the problem.

In Extenics, the set theory foundation of contradictory problems’ resolving is extension set, while incidence functions are quantitative tools of contradictory problems. Therefore, the second step is to establish incidence function, calculate correlation degree of the problem, then find top layer problem according to correlation degree.

Step 3: Seek the core problem.

To resolve a problem we must analyze it, especially when the subjects were "complex and dynamic ". Only finding the origin of the problem -- the deep problem, could solve the problem, named as "suit the remedy to the case". Therefore, the third step is to apply expand reasoning and human-computer interaction to analyze the top layer problem, and to find the core issue.

Step 4: Generate a number of strategies to solve problems.

In order to solve contradictory problems, we use rhombus thinking method, the combination of divergent methods and convergence methods, to generate a number of strategies for solving problems.

The divergent part of rhombus thinking in Extenics is: according to universe of discourse, connection rules and base-element involved in core issues, use extensible rules and conjugate rules of base-element, extend the base-elements involved in the problem to be solved, to get a group of base-elements that might solve the problem. Extension transformations are the basic technique to generate strategy. Use conduction rules or rules of conjugation, the five basic transformations and the four transformmations combinations to generate more strategies.

Step 5: To evaluate strategy based on superiority evaluation rules.

The convergent section of rhombus thinking method in Extenics is: evaluate each strategy according to superiority evaluation rules, get corresponding superiority, sort the resulting strategy based on the superiority and select the higher superiority strategy to provide for decision makers.

3. The basic module of extension strategy generating system

The basic module of extension strategy generation system includes the foundation database, foundation base (including basic rule base, strong relevant regular base), problem base, transform base, and strategy base and so on.

Foundation database is used for storing element-based knowledge which represents system specification data.

Foundation base is used for storing the relevant rules of mining to the underlying database with expert knowledge, extensible rules and conjugate rules of base-element, extension inference rules, dependent function formula and superiority evaluation rules, etc.

Problem base is used for storing the relevance degree < 0 problem which calculated by dependent function. There are surface and deep problems.

Extension transform base is used for storing five basic transformations and the four transformations combinations.

Strategy base is used for storing generated strategies for solving problems, namely these transformations can cause the relevance degree of the problem to become >0 from <0.

4.The next development direction of extension strategy generating system

Due to the development of extension strategy generation system, people will no longer rely on an idea to put forward strategies for solving problems, but be able to generate a batch of creative solution, including conception of all kinds of new products, projects and technology, by taking advantage of the high speed and large storage capacity of the computer. The objective of extension strategy generation system is to enable the computer to deal with the problems, especially contradictory problems.

In human history, the use of machines in the first industrial revolution is an extension of manpower. Car and train travel in the second industrial revolution is an extension of the human leg. Telephone is an extension of the human ear. TV is an extension of the human eye. Computers and networks are extensions of part of the human brain functions. From now on, using extension strategy generating system to make computers help people solve problems is an extension of human intelligence. We call this research as "intelligent treatment of the contradictory problems".

The development of extension strategy generation system will enable people to use computer and network to generate strategies according to certain procedure. This is the future direction of development of science and technology, also a commanding point in the future national competition. It will make human society to have a strategy factory, including various trades' and occupations' strategy factory. Create strategy search engines including general extension strategy generation engine and various trades' and occupations' extension strategy generation engine. Establish strategy generation website, including common extension strategy generating website, and various trades' and occupations' extension strategy generating websites. It will help various trades and occupations to produce the strategy to solve the problems. As a result, enterprises will gradually form real creative industries.