University Homepage School Homepage School Contacts School Search

MSc: Knowledge Management

Index

Module Description MSc (level 11) UG4 (level 10)

Module Notes and Timetable

Tutorials

Lecture Slides

Assessed Assignment

Lecturer

Jessica Chen-Burger 7.08 Appleton Tower Email: jessicac @ aiai.ed.ac.uk and
Stuart Aitken 7.09 Appleton Tower, Tel: 6502738, Email: stuart @ aiai.ed.ac.uk

Course:   Knowledge Modelling and Management (Level 10)

Course Web page

Credit Points	10
Credit Level	10
Acronym	INF-4-KMM
Study Pattern	Study Format		Hours
	Lectures		20
	Tutorials		0
	Timetabled Laboratories		0
	Non-timetabled assessed assignments		30
	Private Study/Other		50
	Total		100

Pre-requisite Courses	None
Other Pre-requisite Requirements	Knowledge Representation and Inference and Logic Programming are preferred but not strictly pre-requisite.
Co-requisites/Forbidden Combinations	None

Short Description

This course addresses knowledge management through knowledge modelling techniques. It provides an introduction to the different types of knowledge modelling methods and explains how knowledge may be described in conceptual models to provide a foundation to support reasoning within modern organisations and to help them carry out tasks. The course will emphasise the design and uses of models: examples are ontologies, organisational and process models. It will also cover formal techniques for representation and reasoning with such knowledge.

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

• To understand the principles of ontology design;
  
• To be able to construct an ontology and understand the formal basis of the definitions it contains;
  
• To understand the issues of sharing knowledge in an organisational context and in a scientific community;
  
• To gain an overview of the different types of knowledge modelling methods and how they may be used together;
  
• To be able to select the appropriate modelling method(s) given certain circumstances;
  
• To be able to construct correct models given a domain;
  
• To be able to carry out reasoning on models based on lightweight logical methods;

Assessment Weightings (%)	Assessment		%
	Written Examination		75
	Assessed Assignments		25
	Oral Presentations		0

Assessed Coursework

This course will involve systems building tasks in addition to learning modelling methods. Coursework will include practical exercises on realistic knowledge engineering scenarios.

Syllabus

The following are core elements of the syllabus:

Knowledge sharing and the knowledge life-cycle:

1. Methodology for ontology building and introduction to Protege;
2. Description Logic and OWL (Web Ontology Language) with a brief introduction to RDF syntax;
3. Axiomatic approaches to ontology;
4. Philosophical views of ontology;
5. Example ontologies and their uses (Gene Ontology, Cyc);
   
6. Evaluation criteria for ontologies.
   

Knowledge management and modelling methods:

1. Overview: an introduction to knowledge management and how (semi-formal) knowledge modelling and engineering techniques can contribute to this field;
2. Knowledge acquisition and model building techniques;
3. An introduction to the different modelling methods: Organisational Models from CommonKADS, IDEF Process Model, UML Class Diagram, Relational Data Model and ontology.
4. Formalisation and knowledge representation techniques related to representing (semi-formal) models;
5. Automated support for building, critiquing and reasoning on models;
6. Knowledge publishing: take a look at current semantic web languages and see how they are related to knowledge management and enterprise/conceptual modelling methods.
   

Relevant QAA Computing Curriculum Sections:  Artificial Intelligence

Reading List

• Knowledge Engineering and Management: The CommonKADS Methodology. Guus Schreiber, Robert de Hoog, Hans Akkermans, Anjo Anjewierden, Nigel Shadbolt, Walter Van de Velde, and Bob Wielinga (1999)

---

Last updated   26 January 2005   by   Stuart Aitken