Analysis of information inconsistency in belief function theory. Part II: internal conflict

Part II of the survey considers the measure of internal conflict in a body of evidence within belief function theory (the Dempster-Shafer theory of evidence). The concepts of non-conflict focal elements in a body of evidence and the basic requirements applied to measures of internal conflict are discussed. Some axiomatics of a measure of internal conflict based on strengthening desirable properties is studied. The general forms of measures of internal conflict that satisfy this system of axioms are presented and analyzed. Different methods for estimating internal conflict are considered: an entropy approach, methods based on auto-conflict calculation and contour function maximization, and metric and decompositional approaches. The decompositional approach assumes that the information source for a body of evidence with great internal conflict could be heterogeneous. This approach is considered in detail. Many illustrative examples are provided.