Knowledge modeling - State of the art

A major characteristic of developments in the broad field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) during the 1990s has been an increasing integration of AI with other disciplines. A number of other computer science fields and technologies have been used in developing intelligent systems, starting from traditional information systems and databases, to modern distributed systems and the Internet. This paper surveys knowledge modeling techniques that have received most attention in recent years among developers of intelligent systems, AI practitioners and researchers. The techniques are described from two perspectives, theoretical and practical. Hence the first part of the paper presents major theoretical and architectural concepts, design approaches, and research issues. The second part discusses several practical systems, applications, and ongoing projects that use and implement the techniques described in the first part. Finally, the paper briefly covers some of the most recent results in the fields of intelligent manufacturing systems, intelligent tutoring systems, and ontologies.