Knowledge Management and
Specialized Information
Systems
Knowledge Management
Systems
Knowledge:
Awareness and understanding of a set of
information and the ways that information can be
made useful to support a specific task or reach a
decision
Knowledge management system (KMS):
Organized collection of people, procedures,
software, databases, and devices used to create,
store, share, and use the organization’s
knowledge and experience
Overview of Knowledge
Management Systems
KMS can involve different types of
knowledge
Explicit knowledge
Objective
Can be measured and documented in reports, papers,
and rules
Tacit knowledge
Hard to measure and document
Typically not objective or formalized
Overview of Systems
Data and Knowledge Management
Workers and Communities of Practice
 Personnel involved in a KMS
include:
 Data workers: secretaries,
administrative assistants,
bookkeepers, other dataentry personnel
 Knowledge workers: people
who create, use, and
disseminate knowledge
 Examples: professionals in
science, engineering, and
business; writers;
researchers; educators;
corporate designers
 Chief knowledge officer (CKO):
top-level executive who helps the
organization use a KMS to
create, store, and use knowledge
to achieve organizational goals
 Communities of practice (COP):
group of people dedicated to a
common discipline or practice,
such as open-source software,
auditing, medicine, or engineering
 Excel at obtaining, storing,
sharing, and using knowledge
Obtaining, Storing, Sharing, and
Using Knowledge
Figure 7.3: Knowledge Management System
Technology to Support
Knowledge Management
 Tools for capturing and
using knowledge include:
 Data mining and business
intelligence
 Enterprise resource planning
tools, such as SAP
 Groupware
 Examples of specific KM
products
 IBM’s Lotus Notes, Domino
 Microsoft’s Digital
Dashboard, Web Store
Technology, Access Workflow
Designer
An Overview of Artificial
Intelligence
 Artificial intelligence (AI): ability of computers to
mimic or duplicate the functions of the human brain
 AI-based computer systems have many applications
in different fields, such as:
 Medical diagnoses
 Exploration for natural resources
 Determining what is wrong with mechanical devices
 Assisting in designing and developing other computer
systems
Artificial Intelligence in Perspective
Artificial intelligence systems: people,
procedures, hardware, software, data, and
knowledge needed to develop computer
systems and machines that demonstrate the
characteristics of intelligence
 Ray Kurzweil on “Explosive Growth”
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovVIlxqAk8I
The Nature of Intelligence
 Learn from experience and
apply knowledge acquired
from experience
 Example: computerized AI
chess software
 Handle complex situations
 Solve problems when
important information is
missing
 Determine what is
important
 React quickly and correctly
to a new situation
 Understand visual images
 Perceptive system:
approximates the way humans
hear, see, or feel objects
 Process and manipulate
symbols
 On a limited basis with
machine-vision hardware and
software
 Be creative and imaginative
 Example: writing short
stories
 Use heuristics
 Obtaining good solutions
(rather than the optimal)
through approximation
The Difference Between Natural
and Artificial Intelligence
Table 7.2: A Comparison of Natural and Artificial
Intelligence
The Major Branches of
Artificial Intelligence
Expert Systems
Hardware and software that stores
knowledge and makes inferences, similar to a
human expert
Used in many business applications
Robotics
 Mechanical or computer devices that
perform tasks requiring a high
degree of precision or that are
tedious or hazardous for humans
 Contemporary robotics combines
high-precision machine capabilities
with sophisticated controlling
software
 Many applications of robotics exist
today
 Research into robots is continuing
 Doing the dishes
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BE
AmIGciSMI
Vision Systems
Hardware and software that permit
computers to capture, store, and manipulate
visual images and pictures
Used by the U.S. Justice Department to
perform fingerprint analysis
Can be used in identifying people based on
facial features
Can be used with robots to give these
machines “sight”
Natural Language Processing
and Voice Recognition
 Natural language
processing: allows the
computer to
understand and react
to statements and
commands made in a
“natural” language, such
as English
 Voice recognition
involves converting
sound waves into words
Learning Systems
Combination of software and hardware that
allows the computer to change how it
functions or reacts to situations based on
feedback it receives
Learning systems software requires
feedback on the results of actions or
decisions
Feedback is used to alter what the system
will do in the future
Neural Networks
 Computer system that can
simulate the functioning of a
human brain
 Ability to retrieve information
even if some of the neural nodes
fail
 Fast modification of stored data
as a result of new information
 Ability to discover relationships
and trends in large databases
 Ability to solve complex
problems for which all the
information is not present
WHAT IS A NEURAL
NETWORK?
A program that is constructed of multiple
artificial neurons which interact with one
another and "learn" a model used to take
intelligent action
 Consists of three layers: Input, hidden, and output
 Network learns by adjusting the interconnection
weights among the neurons
 Trained on data and, after linkages adjust weights
to yield correct answers, used to predict.
HOW DOES A NEURAL
NETWORK FUNCTION?
Identify and include variables that the
designer believes will influence an outcome
Network is "trained" using multiple sets of
known input variables and associated
outcomes
Once trained, the network is presented with
new data
Some Neural Network Structures
SOME USES IN
BUSINESS:
Identifying fraudulent credit card use
Processing credit applications
Allocating airline seats
Rating bonds
Signature verification
 Detecting explosives
Evaluating electrocardiograms
Detecting faulty paint finishes
WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS?
Capable of discerning relationships from
huge amounts of data and "learning" how
they influence outcomes
Capable of "learning on the fly"– model
changes as assumptions change and old
premises become invalid
WHAT ABOUT THE FUTURE?
 Specialized neural network chips embedded in hardware
 Existing databases will be downloaded into neural
networks – for data mining
 May be merged with expert systems – e.g., expert
system could select -- neural network could monitor
 IS specialists may need to be proficient in neural
network skills
 Neural network applications may increase with greater
computing power
 Large interconnected neural network applications will be
developed
Other Artificial Intelligence
Applications
Genetic algorithm: an approach to solving
large, complex problems in which a number of
related operations or models change and
evolve until the best one emerges
Intelligent agent: programs and a knowledge
base used to perform a specific task for a
person, a process, or another program
The MIT Media Lab has a number of ongoing
projects regarding software agents.
 http://www.media.mit.edu/research/ResearchPubWeb.pl?ID=23
An Overview of Expert Systems
 Like human experts, computerized expert
systems use heuristics, or rules of thumb, to
arrive at conclusions or make suggestions
 Used in many fields for a variety of tasks,
such as:
 Designing new products and systems
 Developing innovative insurance products
 Increasing the quality of healthcare
 Determining credit limits for credit cards
 Determining the best fertilizer mix to use on
certain soils
When to Use Expert Systems
 Develop an expert system
if it can do any of the
following:
 Provide a high potential
payoff or significantly reduce
downside risk
 Capture and preserve
irreplaceable human
expertise
 Solve a problem that is not
easily solved using traditional
programming techniques
 Develop a system more
consistent than human
experts
 Develop an expert system
if it can do any of the
following--
 Provide expertise needed at a
number of locations at the
same time or in a hostile
environment that is
dangerous to human health
 Provide expertise that is
expensive or rare
 Develop a solution faster than
human experts can
 Provide expertise needed for
training and development to
share the wisdom and
experience of human experts
with a large number of people
Components of Expert Systems
Figure 7.8: Components of an Expert System
Participants in Developing and Using Expert
Systems
 Domain expert: individual or
group who has the expertise or
knowledge one is trying to
capture in the expert system
 Knowledge engineer: individual
who has training or experience in
the design, development,
implementation, and maintenance
of an expert system
 Knowledge user: individual or
group who uses and benefits
from the expert system
Applications of Expert Systems and
Artificial Intelligence
 Credit granting and loan analysis
 Stock picking
 Catching cheats and terrorists
 Gambling casinos
 Budgeting
 Prototype testing programs
 Games
 Crossword puzzles
 Information management and
retrieval
 Uses bots
 AI and expert systems
embedded in products
 Antilock braking system,
television
 Plant layout and manufacturing
 Hospitals and medical facilities
 Probability of contracting
diseases, lab analysis, home
diagnosis, appointment
scheduling
 Help desks and assistance
 Employee performance evaluation
 Virus detection
 Uses neural network technology
 Repair and maintenance
 Telephone networks, aerospace
equipment
 Shipping and marketing
 Warehouse optimization
 Restocking, location
Virtual Reality
 Virtual reality system:
enables one or more users
to move and react in a
computer-simulated
environment
 Immersive virtual reality:
user becomes fully
immersed in an artificial,
three-dimensional world
that is completely
generated by a computer
 Experimental “gesture
technology”: may have
military applications
 Medicine: anxiety
disorders, pain reduction
 Education and training:
anatomy, history, military
training
 Real estate marketing and
tourism: virtual
walkthroughs
 Entertainment: CGI movies
and games