Knowledge Acquistion Facility

Overview:

The Knowledge Acquisition Facility addresses specific needs of the knowledge engineer during the knowledge acquisition process. These needs include the capability to decompose the knowledge acquisition task into manageable subtasks, focus on a representation of expertise that is natural to domain experts, and recognize the patterns in knowledge and to resolve conflict when aspects of knowledge of a particular domain become uncertain. The "back bone" of this software incorporates the RHEM-KAF (Knowledge Acquisition Framework).

By incorporating the Rhem-KAF, the Knowledge Acquisition Facility allows for the use of one or many Knowledge Acquisition tools and/or methods. Adherence to the concepts and the tasks associated with each concept is a trait built into the framework. The Knowledge Acquisition Facility is designed to empower the knowledge engineer to create a knowledge base that will accurately capture the knowledge of the Domain.

Core System Functionality

Domain Area Analysis - This function of the application provides the user with the capability to examine the domain under consideration for development. The results of this analysis will determine if the domain area is likely to use a knowledgebase system in its implementation. After the completion of the domain analysis the user will be directed via the Knowledge Acquisition Workflow on the recommended approach to model the domain's knowledge.

Knowledge Acquisition Workflow - The Knowledge Acquisition Workflow functions as the "knowledge director". This functionality will guide the user based on the results of the domain analysis to model the knowledge of the domain. This guidance will be based on determining if the knowledge of the domain is tacit, explicit, procedural and/or declarative.

Knowledge Modeler - This is an environment that allows the user to graphically illustrate the structure of the knowledge being captured. The modeler will enable the user to construct the models using UML and to organize the models in to knowledge bases or rule sets to accommodate a modular architecture.

KAF (Knowledge Acquisition Facility) Tools:
Knowledge Base Generator - This tool allows for the automatic generation of a knowledge base or rule set from the models being constructed using the knowledge modeler.

Knowledge Base Database - The Knowledge Database is a collection of knowledge bases created by the Knowledge Acquisition Facility. The system will have the capability to search this database for existing knowledge once the domain passes the Domain Analysis function and is ready to be analyzed by the Knowledge Acquisition workflow.

This will expedite the creation of additional knowledge bases by determining if a similar knowledge base or duplicate knowledge base exists. This is also where outside vendor tools can be used to access knowledge bases to be used in a Knowledge Base System and/or Knowledge Management System.

KAF Methodology Workflow Tutorial - This is a tutorial centered around instructing the user on how to use the RHEM - Knowledge Acquisition Framework, which is the underlying framework of the facility and on how the different functions of the Knowledge Acquisition Facility work and how they can be used.