Knowledge Elicitation

Abstract

The term knowledge acquisition is generic, it is neutral with respect to how the transfer of knowledge is achieved. Knowledge elicitation however, often implies that the transfer is accomplished by a series of interviews between a domain expert and a knowledge engineer who then writes a computer program representing the knowledge (or gets someone else to write it). It involves (Jackson, 1990, pp. 219–220): the elicitation of knowledge from experts in some systematic way - for example, by presenting them with sample problems and eliciting solutions; storing the knowledge so obtained in some intermediate representation; and compiling the knowledge from the intermediate representation into a runnable form, such as production rules.

Knowledge acquisition has been described as:

‘the transfer and transformation of potential problem-solving expertise from some knowledge source to a program’

(Buchanan et al, 1983)