Re-usable knowledge: Development of an object oriented industrial KBS and a collaborative domain ontology

Since the early eighties, there has been a gradual shift in the focus of development of knowledge based systems away from the rapid prototyping techniques that had previously prevailed, toward more structured methodologies, including model based reasoning and modeling of knowledge domains. The default standard for the development of these systems has become the CommonKADS methodology. This paper will assess the feasibility of applying the CommonKADS methodology to the knowledge base of an existing legacy system, the subsequent re-useability of knowledge and domain schema that results from the process and the development of collaborative domain ontologies. Currently the CommonKADS methodology embraces reuse by providing standard inferencing primitives and a set of generic task models. The resulting model set is assessed to determine its suitability to form the basis of an ontology for electroplating in the manufacturing industry.