An architecture for distributed knowledge based-systems

Abstract

Many management information systems have requirements that are inherently distributed, both logically and physically, however, no adequate architectures exist which allow multiple knowledge bases and databases to be shared and integrated. An architecture for Distributed Knowledge-Based Systems (DKBS) is presented which satisfies these requirements. A Distributed Knowledge Base Management System (DKBMS) is described which manages the meta-knowledge necessary to coordinate multiple local Knowledge-Based Systems (KBSs). We propose an object-oriented design for implementing the DKBMS structure and the communication protocol which connects the DKBMS with each of the KBSs. An application is described where the DKBS architecture might assist managers to integrate several KBSs which represent parts of a strategic plan.