Automated Enhancement of Knowledge Representations

A new class of maintenance tool is presented, designed specifically for enhancement of knowledge representation systems. These tools are based on the structure of a domain model and the ways it can be changed. A complete language for changing domain models is presented. Associated with each change is an explicit assumption in the previous model that is violated. A complete analysis is presented of how existing knowledge representation frames and the associated operations on those frames must be updated to correct these assumption violations introduced by changing the domain model. Such tools are an important first step towards support for an incremental development process. Almost no support currently exists for enhancing knowledge representation systems. The tools described here support enhancements involving modification to the domain model. Support for the remaining enhancements will require both more knowledgeable tools which understand the system they are manipulating, and more declarative structural specifications for such systems which facilitate that understanding.