The Role of Knowledge Modeling Techniques in Software Development: A General Approach Based on a Knowledge Management Tool

The aim of the paper is to discuss the use of knowledge models to formulate general applications. First, the paper presents the recent evolution of the software field where increasing attention is paid to conceptual modeling. Then, the current state of knowledge modeling techniques is described where increased reliability is available through the modern knowledge acquisition techniques and supporting tools. The KSM (Knowledge Structure Manager) tool is described next. First, the concept of knowledge area is introduced as a building block where methods to perform a collection of tasks are included together with the bodies of knowledge providing the basic methods to perform the basic tasks. Then, the CONCEL language to define vocabularies of domains and the LINK language for methods formulation are introduced. Finally, the object oriented implementation of a knowledge area is described and a general methodology for application design and maintenance supported by KSM is proposed. To illustrate the concepts and methods, an example of system for intelligent traffic management in a road network is described. This example is followed by a proposal of generalization for reuse of the resulting architecture. Finally, some concluding comments are proposed about the feasibility of using the knowledge modeling tools and methods for general application design

Using Knowledge Modelling Tools for Agent-Based Systems: The Experience of KSM

The aim of this chapter is to discuss the applicability of recently proposed knowledge modelling tools to the development of agent-based systems. The discussion is derived from the real world experience of a particular software tool called KSM (Knowledge Structure Manager). The chapter provides details about this tool and then proceeds to show in which forms the software may be used to support the development of agent-based systems. Two multiagent systems, one in the field of telecommunications management and the other one in the field of flood control, are described. Conclusions about these studies are presented, summarizing the main contributions that knowledge modelling tools can bring to the development of agent-based systems

A Structure of Problem Solving Methods for Real Time Decision Support in Traffic Control

This article describes a knowledge-based application in the domain of road traffic management that we have developed following a knowledge modeling approach and the notion of problem-solving method. The article presents first a domain-independent model for real-time decision support as a structured collection of problem solving methods. Then, it is described how this general model is used to develop an operational version for the domain of traffic management. For this purpose, a particular knowledge modeling tool, called KSM (Knowledge Structure Manager), was applied. Finally, the article shows an application developed for a traffic network of the city of Madrid and it is compared with a second application developed for a different traffic area of the city of Barcelona

Knowledge-based models for adaptive traffic management systems

This paper describes a general approach for real time traffic management support using knowledge based models. Recognizing that human intervention is usually required to apply the current automatic traffic control systems, it is argued that there is a need for an additional intelligent layer to help operators to understand traffic problems and to make the best choice of strategic control actions that modify the assumption framework of the existing systems

Early Tracheostomy for Managing ICU Capacity During the COVID-19 Outbreak: A Propensity-Matched Cohort Study

10 p.Background: During the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, shortages of ventilators and ICU beds overwhelmed health care systems. Whether early tracheostomy reduces the duration of mechanical ventilation and ICU stay is controversial. Research question: Can failure-free day outcomes focused on ICU resources help to decide the optimal timing of tracheostomy in overburdened health care systems during viral epidemics? Study design and methods: This retrospective cohort study included consecutive patients with COVID-19 pneumonia who had undergone tracheostomy in 15 Spanish ICUs during the surge, when ICU occupancy modified clinician criteria to perform tracheostomy in Patients with COVID-19. We compared ventilator-free days at 28 and 60 days and ICU- and hospital bed-free days at 28 and 60 days in propensity score-matched cohorts who underwent tracheostomy at different timings (≤ 7 days, 8-10 days, and 11-14 days after intubation). Results: Of 1,939 patients admitted with COVID-19 pneumonia, 682 (35.2%) underwent tracheostomy, 382 (56%) within 14 days. Earlier tracheostomy was associated with more ventilator-free days at 28 days (≤ 7 days vs > 7 days [116 patients included in the analysis]: median, 9 days [interquartile range (IQR), 0-15 days] vs 3 days [IQR, 0-7 days]; difference between groups, 4.5 days; 95% CI, 2.3-6.7 days; 8-10 days vs > 10 days [222 patients analyzed]: 6 days [IQR, 0-10 days] vs 0 days [IQR, 0-6 days]; difference, 3.1 days; 95% CI, 1.7-4.5 days; 11-14 days vs > 14 days [318 patients analyzed]: 4 days [IQR, 0-9 days] vs 0 days [IQR, 0-2 days]; difference, 3 days; 95% CI, 2.1-3.9 days). Except hospital bed-free days at 28 days, all other end points were better with early tracheostomy. Interpretation: Optimal timing of tracheostomy may improve patient outcomes and may alleviate ICU capacity strain during the COVID-19 pandemic without increasing mortality. Tracheostomy within the first work on a ventilator in particular may improve ICU availability

Knowledge Oriented and Object Oriented Design: The Experience of KSM

Knowledge modeling is a new activity derived from the AI field that may be used to develop software applications under a perspective of knowledge organization instead of the traditional data + processes approach. According to this, a new methodology, called knowledge oriented , is emerging as an alternative to conventional methodologies in software engineering. Different structuring concepts were proposed to create knowledge models, based mainly on the concept of task, which presents a functional view of a model. In this paper, we propose as structuring concept the knowledge unit, which introduces a new perspective of a knowledge model. The organization derived from the use of this concept presents a more synthetic view showing explicitly what the model knows besides what the model performs. We describe also the KSM (Knowledge Structure Manager) software environment which was developed to support the structured methodology based on knowledge units. KSM allows the user to develop a kno..

A Structure of Problem-solving Methods for Real-time Decision Support in Traffic Control

ion The previous set of primitive inferences makes use of certain domain knowledge as figure 3 shows. This section describes this domain knowledge in abstract terms, i.e. it is considered for a generic dynamic system. The domain description is divided into modules that are associated to the corresponding primitive inferences: . System model. The system model includes basic concepts modeling the physical structure of the dynamic system. This model is mainly used by the primitive inference called simulate behavior, but it is also used by other two tasks: select component to choose each time a particular component for applying a task, refine problem to find out about details for an existing type of problem, and select contributors to select the elements that contribute to the presence of a problem. For instance, in the traffic domain this model includes concepts defining the network structure such as nodes (entry and exit points), sections, links connecting sections (with several types ..

Building Knowledge Models Using KSM

. This paper describes the operation with the software environment called KSM (Knowledge Structure Manager) that supports a methodology for building and reusing knowledge models. The methodology is a useful tool for developers who need to build large and complex knowledge models in real world projects. The enviroment helps developers in applying the whole methodology to build the final system and it also assists end users during the operation and maintenance of existing knowledge models. The paper introduces first briefly the knowledge modeling concept of KSM and, then, the operation with the environment is described and illustrated with some examples of screens. Finally, the paper presents some technical details about the software architecture of KSM . 1. INTRODUCTION KSM (Knowledge Structure Manager) [Cuena, Molina, 94] [Cuena, Molina, 96] is a software environment that supports a methodology for building and reusing knowledge models. The methodology is a useful tool for developers..