Knowledge modelling for a generic refinement framework.

Abstract

Refinement tools assist with debugging the knowledge-based system (KBS), thus easing the well-known knowledge acquisition bottleneck, and the more recently recognised maintenance overhead. The existing refinement tools were developed for specific rule-based KBS environments, and have usually been applied to artificial or academic applications. Hence, there is a need for tools which are applicable to industrial applications. However, it would be wasteful to develop separate refinement tools for individual shells; instead, the KrustWorks project is developing reusable components applicable to a variety of KBS environments. This paper develops a knowledge representation that embodies a KBS's rulebase and its reasoning, and permits the implementation of core refinement procedures, which are generally applicable and can ignore KBS-specific details. Such a representation is an essential stage in the construction of a generic automated knowledge refinement framework, such as KrustWorks. Experience from applying this approach to Clips, PowerModel and Pfes KBSs indicates its feasibility for a wider variety of industrial KBSs