A General Framework for Knowledge Management System Design

This paper illustrates a framework to support the acquisition, representation and use of core knowledge by integrating Knowledge Based System (KBS) and Component– Based approaches in order to obtain a Knowledge Management system. One of the main issues of traditional approaches to KBS development is related to knowledge and software maintenance. Moreover, knowledge sharing among different KBS modules is another issue when the KBS technology is exploited for complex software systems. In this paper we propose a framework based on a three–tier architecture that allows to overcome these problems and that defines a general framework for the design of KM systems. A clear separation between knowledge processing components and other components at the application layer is the central idea of the proposed architectural pattern. The proposed framework has been designed and successfully applied within the context of P–Truck, an ongoing research project that involves the University of Milano–Bicocca and the Business Unit Truck of Pirelli Tyres.