Using ontologies to improve knowledge management in technology transfer

Abstract

The management of knowledge is a significant issue for successful technology transfer. Techniques and tools for knowledge management are becoming sufficiently mature and can be exploited to improve the process of technology transfer. An ontology is a knowledge base that has proven to be especially useful for capturing domain knowledge in a form that is useful in the context of knowledge management. In this paper, we give overviews of knowledge management and ontologies and indicate how they can be applied to technology transfer. We describe how an ontology, along with knowledge management techniques, has been applied to improve the design, implementation, and operation of the Environmental Expertise Knowledge Base System (EEKBS).