Collaborative knowledge acquisition

Abstract

The increasing complexity of expert systems applications dictates the involvement of many experts in building those systems. Most existing knowledge acquisition techniques are not appropriate for knowledge acquisition from multiple experts. A collaborative approach to acquiring knowledge from a team of experts is developed based on our experience of using Group Support Systems (GSS) for strategic planning, crisis management, and knowledge acquisition. A collaborative environment consists of hardware, software, facility, people, procedures, and facilitation. Techniques for collaborative knowledge acquisition include brainstorming, Nominal Group Technique, Delphi technique, focus group interviews, group repertory grid analysis, and voting. A dimensional analysis framework is used to analyze tools for collaborative knowledge acquisition with regard to three dimensions: the problem-solving process supported, the structure of information generated, and the interaction patterns among participants. Process models including planning, identification, classification, group repertory grid analysis, and verification are developed to facilitate the collaborative knowledge acquisition activities. This paper concludes with observations of a study employing this approach and implications to future research.