Descartes is a knowledge-based system supporting exploratory analysis of spatially referenced data with the use of maps. It is capable of automated generation of maps and other graphical displays that represent data selected for analysis. Besides, the system selects and combines appropriate analytical instruments (graphical displays, data transformations, interactive operations etc.) depending on the analysis task the user needs to perform and instructs the user how to employ these instruments

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... or this task. The intelligent behaviour of the system is based on three kinds of knowledge: the rules of data representation depending on the characteristics of the data and relationships between data components, the possible analysis tasks and correspondence between the tasks and the available instruments, and domain-specific knowledge allowing the system to "understand" the content of data.