Presented at the Workshop on Adoption-Centric Software Engineering, ICSE 2003, Portland.

1. AC Adoption-Centric
KE Knowledge Engineering
Neil A. Ernst
nernst@uvic.ca
Computer Human Interaction & Software Engineering Lab
Department of Computer Science, University of Victoria

2. Overview
Overview
Background • Background
ACKE
• What is ACKE?
Jambalaya
Suggestions
• Our experiences: Jambalaya
• Suggestions for creating user-centered
knowledge tools
May 2003 CHISEL Research Group, University of Victoria
Neil A. Ernst, University of Victoria 2

3. Background: knowledge engineering
Overview
• KE refers to the creation of knowledge-based
Background
systems
ACKE
• Typical methodology: design, acquisition, entry,
Jambalaya refinement
Suggestions
Neil A. Ernst, University of Victoria 3
May 2003

4. Background: knowledge engineering
Overview
• Most design occurs at what Allan Newell called the ‘Knowledge
Background Level’
ACKE
– What exactly is being captured?
• Multiple domain experts are sometimes necessary to explain the
Jambalaya
often complex subject areas
Suggestions • Some tools exist to simplify these steps
– Help with modelling, acquisition,, and/or maintenance
• Two chief user types:
– End user (query, add, update)
– Knowledge engineer (maintain, upgrade, model)
• Similar to software engineer who maintains a legacy
program
• Difference between KE and SE: KE is maintaining an ontological
commitment, not a tool
May 2003 Neil A. Ernst, University of Victoria 4

5. Adoption-Centric Knowledge Engineering
Overview
• Knowledge engineering (KE) has not had a strong
Background
end-user focus
ACKE – FOL oriented, mathematical syntax, research focus
– Nevertheless, an increasing use of KE tools to
Jambalaya
develop applications
Suggestions – Semantic web initiatives increase this
– How can we make Semantic Web tools as simple as
early HTML tools were?
– Doing more complex things, so the feedback cycle is
slower, and the barrier to entry is higher
• Move to leveraging existing cognitive support users
have
• Develop tools and processes with a human-
centered focus
• E.g. Rich Site Syndication (RSS) standard
May 2003 Neil A. Ernst, University of Victoria 5

6. Jambalaya
Overview
• project: implementing information visualization in Protégé
Background
– Protégé is a popular knowledge-based system used to create and manage
ACKE ontologies (specifications of concepts in a domain)
– Jambalaya provides alternate views and tools to explore, understand, and
Jambalaya
interact with these complex datasets
Suggestions • goals
– know there is a problem with current tools (such as navigation and editing
problems)
– our theory: visualization is an essential cognitive aid for conceptualizing a
domain model and communicating that model to others
– examine issues in user adoption of cognitive aids
• how can an adoption-centric knowledge engineering focus help us?
– conduct user studies for theory verification and generation
May 2003 Neil A. Ernst, University of Victoria 6

7. Jambalaya (2)
Overview
Background • demonstration: a research knowledge base,
Shrimpbib
ACKE
Jambalaya
• current work
Suggestions
– Initial approach: a graph visualization in Protégé would be
useful!
– Problem: convince real-world users of this
– Refinement: ethnographic studies of this real-world
• Surveys – large numbers of domains and scopes
• Interviews - Do they need our tool?
– How can we get people to adopt the tool?
Neil A. Ernst, University of Victoria 7
May 2003

8. Neil A. Ernst, University of Victoria 8
May 2003

9. Neil A. Ernst, University of Victoria 9
May 2003

10. ACKE: suggested approaches
Overview
Background • Leverage existing tools such as Protégé
ACKE – Reasonably large userbase, 8000+ registered
Jambalaya – Extensible, open-source, cross-platform
Suggestions – What about different representation formalisms?
(FOL, frames, Description Logic)
• Recall Shaw: “90% of code goes to UI, 10% to
function”
• What practices are currently used? How can WE adapt
to them? (not, “here's a neat tool”)
• Work on tool interoperability as well e.g. common
exchange mechanisms (KIF, RDF, OWL)
Neil A. Ernst, University of Victoria 10
May 2003

11. ACKE: suggested approaches
Overview
Background • Support common tools
ACKE – What are these tools?
Jambalaya • Obvious ones: Office, Email
Suggestions
– Eg. SemTalk (semtalk.com)
• Web-centric tools
– SVG or Flash
– XML data interchange (GXL, GraphXML)
• Custom applications: learn through qualitative
analysis on case by case basis (no one solution)
• Aim to support the most with the least?
May 2003 Neil A. Ernst, University of Victoria 11

12. Questions?
May 2003 Neil A. Ernst, University of Victoria 12