Knowledge-driven distributed information systems

The issue of employing higher level programming techniques and knowledge representation facilities for designing and developing an expert-like distributed database management system interface for multiple interoperable information sources is examined. A decentralized architectural framework for distributed information systems is introduced, and it is explained how it establishes a meaningful form of communication/cooperation between disparate information sources. The author considers the architectural perspectives and design requirements for the development of a knowledge-aided loosely coupled distributed information system (DIS) whereby multiple heterogeneous DBMSs can communicate as autonomous, self-descriptive components. This DIS can process voluminous heterogeneous data by permitting access to a set of large information sources scattered across the nodes of a common communication network each having a global view of the problem solving in the network.<>