Factors shaping the evolution of electronic documentation systems

The main goal is to prepare the space station technical and managerial structure for likely changes in the creation, capture, transfer, and utilization of knowledge. By anticipating advances, the design of Space Station Project (SSP) information systems can be tailored to facilitate a progression of increasingly sophisticated strategies as the space station evolves. Future generations of advanced information systems will use increases in power to deliver environmentally meaningful, contextually targeted, interconnected data (knowledge). The concept of a Knowledge Base Management System is emerging when the problem is focused on how information systems can perform such a conversion of raw data. Such a system would include traditional management functions for large space databases. Added artificial intelligence features might encompass co-existing knowledge representation schemes; effective control structures for deductive, plausible, and inductive reasoning; means for knowledge acquisition, refinement, and validation; explanation facilities; and dynamic human intervention. The major areas covered include: alternative knowledge representation approaches; advanced user interface capabilities; computer-supported cooperative work; the evolution of information system hardware; standardization, compatibility, and connectivity; and organizational impacts of information intensive environments

Techniques for organizational memory information systems

The KnowMore project aims at providing active support to humans working on knowledge-intensive tasks. To this end the knowledge available in the modeled business processes or their incarnations in specific workflows shall be used to improve information handling. We present a representation formalism for knowledge-intensive tasks and the specification of its object-oriented realization. An operational semantics is sketched by specifying the basic functionality of the Knowledge Agent which works on the knowledge intensive task representation. The Knowledge Agent uses a meta-level description of all information sources available in the Organizational Memory. We discuss the main dimensions that such a description scheme must be designed along, namely information content, structure, and context. On top of relational database management systems, we basically realize deductive object- oriented modeling with a comfortable annotation facility. The concrete knowledge descriptions are obtained by configuring the generic formalism with ontologies which describe the required modeling dimensions. To support the access to documents, data, and formal knowledge in an Organizational Memory an integrated domain ontology and thesaurus is proposed which can be constructed semi-automatically by combining document-analysis and knowledge engineering methods. Thereby the costs for up-front knowledge engineering and the need to consult domain experts can be considerably reduced. We present an automatic thesaurus generation tool and show how it can be applied to build and enhance an integrated ontology /thesaurus. A first evaluation shows that the proposed method does indeed facilitate knowledge acquisition and maintenance of an organizational memory

AiGERM: A logic programming front end for GERM

AiGerm (Artificially Intelligent Graphical Entity Relation Modeler) is a relational data base query and programming language front end for MCC (Mission Control Center)/STP's (Space Test Program) Germ (Graphical Entity Relational Modeling) system. It is intended as an add-on component of the Germ system to be used for navigating very large networks of information. It can also function as an expert system shell for prototyping knowledge-based systems. AiGerm provides an interface between the programming language and Germ

Third international workshop on Authoring of adaptive and adaptable educational hypermedia (A3EH), Amsterdam, 18-22 July, 2005

The A3EH follows a successful series of workshops on Adaptive and Adaptable Educational Hypermedia. This workshop focuses on models, design and authoring of AEH, on assessment of AEH, conversion between AEH and evaluation of AEH. The workshop has paper presentations, poster session and panel discussions

Multi‐layered knowledge‐based architecture of the adaptable distance learning system

The quality of the distance learning courses is largely influenced by competently prepared educational resources and an effective study support system. One of the possible ways to improve distance learning infrastructure and increase its effectiveness is to extend the architecture of present e‐learning systems by the components for adaptable and sustainable learning. This research work is devoted to developing the service‐oriented distance learning environment adaptable to the user's needs. The proposed adaptable communication environment of distance learning is constructed by integration of new components of communication scenarios generation, adaptable for student's goals, multilayered domain ontology of learning subject and forming intelligent agents’ framework possible. The paper presents the knowledge‐based component architecture of the distance learning system, which enables a better adaptation of learning resources to students. The paper analyses the possibilities of integrating ontology into the e‐learning system. The issues of decomposing ontology into different levels of understanding are discussed in order to adapt to learner's tasks and goals. A conceptual approach is proposed for extending the existing distance learning system architecture by intelligent and deeper knowledge layers. Santrauka Nuotolinių studijų kokybė daugiausia priklauso nuo kompetentingai parengtų mokomųjų priemonių ir veiksmingai veikiančios studijų paramos sistemos. Ieškant priemonių, kaip pagerinti nuotolinių studijų sistemos infrastruktūrą ir padidinti jos darbo efektyvumą, nagrinėjamos galimybės praplėsti tradicinės nuotolinio mokymo sistemos architektūrą komponentėmis, kurios leistų išplėtoti adaptuotą ir darnų mokymosi procesą. Šio tyrimo uždaviniai skirti paslaugoms, skirtoms išvystyti nuotolinio mokymo aplinką. Siekiant sukurti tinkamą kompiuterizuotą bendradarbiavimo aplinką, lanksčiai prisitaikoma prie kintančių vartotojo poreikių studijų procese. Architektūra projektuojama integruojant naujas komponentes bendravimo scenarijams generuoti, daugelio lygių dalykinės srities ontologijai naudoti ir sudarant sąlygas automatizuotam intelektinių agentų bendravimui. Straipsnyje nagrinėjamos galimybės integruoti dalykinės srities ontologiją į tradicinės nuotolinio mokymo sistemos aplinką. Ontologijos detalizavimo pagal studento supratimo lygmenis klausimai nagrinėjami siekiant pateikti koncepcinį tokios nuotolinės adaptuotos sistemos darbo modelį. First published online: 21 Oct 2010 Reikšminiai žodžiai: nuotolinio mokymo aplinka, adaptuotas elektroninis mokymas, sprendimų priėmimo sistema, ontologija, intelektualūs agentai, žiniomis grindžiama architektūra