Consensus Knowledge Acquisition

We have developed a method and prototype program for assisting two experts in their attempts to construct a single, consensus knowledge base. We show that consensus building can be effectively facilitated by a debugging approach that identifies, explains, and resolves discrepancies in their knowledge. To implement this approach we identify and use recognition and repair procedures for a variety of discrepancies. Examples of this knowledge are illustrated with sample transcripts from CARTER, a system for reconciling two rule-based systems. Implications for resolving other kinds of knowledge representations are also examined. Keywords: Knowledge acquisition, Multiple experts, Knowledge based systems, Debugging.