Managing knowledge and data to support technology transfer

Abstract

The ability to identify and communicate with various types of domain experts is critical for overcoming the many barriers in the process of technology transfer. This paper describes the development of the environmental expertise knowledge base system (EEKBS), a distributed software system to assist in the identification of individuals with expertise in specific areas of environmental science. This application takes knowledge that is commonly tacit and inadequately maintained, and makes it both explicit and accessible. An effective search for people who have expertise in a subject requires the search system to have at least some understanding of the subject matter. The EEKBS incorporates a knowledge base containing the terminology used to describe the environmental sciences. This knowledge base allows a user to discover experts whose expertise is described in terms not used in the query, and indeed in terms he/she may not understand. The structure of this knowledge base and the process used to construct it are also described.