Nonmonotonic Multi-Context Systems: A Flexible Approach for Integrating Heterogeneous Knowledge Sources

MCS provide a flexible, principled account of integrating heterogeneous knowledge sources, a task that is becoming more and more relevant. By a knowledge source we mean a knowledge base (KB) formulated in any of the typical knowledge representation languages, including classical logic, description logics, modal or temporal logics, but also nonmonotonic formalisms like logic programs under answer set semantics or default logic. The basic idea is to describe the information flow among different KBs declaratively, using so-called bridge rules. The semantics of MCS is based on the definition of an equilibrium.