Prosumer Framework for Knowledge Management Based on Prosumer Service Patterns

Abstract

Service creation and customization are expensive tasks: they require specialists for the creation of required software elements, while the knowledge for defining and using those services is owned by domain experts. In many cases, some of the usual basic services could be implemented by domain experts without any programming skills. In this, paper we present the prosumer service pattern (ProSP), which considers the characterization of the prosumer and enables them to manage the knowledge of the services. A ProSP behaves as a knowledge object defined through a problem–solution approach and allows the solving of specific problems in a prosumer framework. The proposal comprises a ProSP data model, a lifecycle for the patterns, a methodological approach that involves prosumers in framework provisioning and a tool to manage ProSPs through their life cycle. This tool is based on a cloud-hosted web solution and it is accessible from different devices (PCs, tablets and smartphones). An experimental validation, where 24 students of telecommunications and bioengineering participated, was carried out. Based on obtained results, the authors discuss the factors that affect the correct elicitation of knowledge about prosumer services, the service quality improvement using the ProSP approach and the evaluation of the ProSP model.