MultiCentric Knowledge System
by Aw Kong Koy

Contents

       Books
       IT Solutions
       Other Observations
       The MultiCentric Knowledge System
       Applications of MCKS
       MultiCentric Technology
       What Next?
       The Program Files
       Acknowledgements


1.  Books
Since the invention of the written word, knowledge has been recorded in
book form. Unfortunately, books are not the most efficient way of
documenting and managing knowledge.  Some of the shortcomings are:-

       Books are presentation based.  Because of this, only a small 
        percentage of the actual knowledge of the authors is recorded.  
        Instead of documenting their knowledge, the authors are presenting 
        what they want you to know.

       Books do not cater for the growth of knowledge.  Physically, books 
        do not allow for contributions from several persons over a period 
        of time.

       Books contain a huge amount of duplicated information (noise).  As 
        each book has to be more or less autonomous, the authors have to 
        repeat all basic information to make the book complete.

       Books are static.  The information in a book can not be rearranged 
        for it to be viewed from a different perspective.  The chapters of 
        the books pre-defined the centre of focus.

1.1  The Enclyclopeadia
The encyclopeadia is the closest to the documenting of knowledge.  In
encyclopaedias, knowledge is classified under different topics which are
cross referenced and indexed.  However the encyclopaedia is limited by its
inability to record relationships, groups and interfaces - an integral
part of knowledge.  Cross referencing and indexing help us to discover
these links but these links are transient in the mind of the reader.

The net result of this is that while technology and knowledge have
increased tremendously in recent years, knowledge is still not easily
accessible and assimilated.

2. IT Solutions
The IT industry answer to this problem is hypertext, indexing systems and
electronic publishing, among others.  These systems may be useful for
managing information but unfortunately they have several shortcomings when
it comes to the documentation and management of knowledge.

2.1  Hypertext Systems
Hypertext systems allow various documents to be linked through words,
phrases or icons in the documents.  This allows references in each
document to be linked to other documents and each document to be
autonomous.  The links are one way.  To cross link the documents, the
links must be provided on both documents.   This is a very serious
deficiency as uses starting with different documents will not be able
to find the same information.

In addition, each document is actually a book or article in electronic
form and therefore suffers from the same deficiencies.  To learn a new
subject using hypertext is not a more attractive proposition.

2.2  Indexing systems
Indexing systems allow users to search within an existing set of files for
information rapidly based on keywords, and boolean and proximity searches.
This is useful for finding information which you know or think exist.
Unfortunately the number of search hits is often more than is useful.

The current trend is to design more intelligent rule based search engines
to reduce the number of hits.   Unfortunately, the intelligence of the
human mind that no computer can yet come close is not utilised.

2.3  Electronic Publishing
Electronic publishing is used to publish books electronically. Hypertext
and indexing systems allow the user to search and cross-refer the various
sections of the publication.

This change of media does not however reflect a paradigm shift in the
management of knowledge.

3.0  Other Observations

3.1  The Search for Simplicity
Since the beginning of the industrial age, the human race has strive for
the simplification of work through mechanisation and automation.  Sadly,
we also sought to simplify knowledge.  We want simple answers!

Analogies are also used to explain complex concepts and phenomena.
Slogans are used to influence the public.  Today, very impressive graphics
and multimedia tools are used in presentations.  The audience is lead to
believe that such complex concepts and  phenomena can be understood in the
simplified manner that has been presented to them.   In reality, what is
understood is the presentation and not the real thing.

It is common today for reports to include an executive summary.   One
shudders to think how many far reaching decisions affecting the lives of
others are made on the basis of such executive summaries.  Reports as we
know them today only record a fraction of the knowledge acquired during
the study and are ultimately another form of presentation.

3.2  Hierarchical Thinking
As part of the scientific method, we classify things and put them in
hierarchies.  We tend to forget that these hierarchies are artificial and
that the real world cannot be confined to our single plane classifications
especially where knowledge is concerned.

For example, we classify each book in the library under one category while
the book could properly fall under any one of several categories.  We can
understand that this is necessary because of physical constraints.
Although there is no such constraint in a computer operating system, the
same single plane classification is adopted.

Similarly, we classify skills and knowledge into disciplines, which is
just as artificial.  Inter disciplinary transfer of knowledge and
experience should be the norm, not the exception.

We need to free ourselves from the constraints of such thinking if we are
to move forward.

4.0  The MultiCentric Knowledge System (MCKS)
MCKS is a computer based system for the modelling of the real world with
all its complexity. It is an attempt to overcome current deficiencies in
the documenting and management of knowledge.  MCKS exists only in the
virtual world of the computer and the mind.  It cannot be represented
physically.

Information in MCKS is stored in elemental form as objects, where an
object represents anything that can be given a name.  MCKS records the
relationships, groupings, and interfaces between each object and any other
object.  This harks back to mind mapping but MCKS makes it
multi-dimensional, integrated and enables one to select any object as the
centre of focus, hence "MultiCentric".

4.1  Objects
In MCKS, objects can represent anything that has a name.  It can represent
a person, an organisation, a company, a department, a country, a concept,
a system, a procedure.

4.2  Relationships
The following diagram shows an object and its relationships.

        Groups      Link Obj   Ŀ  Link Obj   Members
      Ŀ    Ŀ     Ŀ    Ŀ    Ŀ
       Group A  Ĵ Ŀ  Assoc Objects Ĵ Ĵ Member A  
                      
                                             
      Ŀ    Ŀ    Ŀ    Ŀ    Ŀ
       Group B  Ĵ Ĵ   Object    Ĵ Ĵ Member B  
                      
                                             
      Ŀ    Ŀ    Ŀ    Ŀ    Ŀ
       Group C  Ĵ Ĵ    Aliases    ÿ Ĵ Ĵ Member C  
              ٳ       
                                
      Ŀ    Ŀ    Ŀ    Ŀ    Ŀ
       Group D  Ĵ    Descriptionsÿ Ĵ Ĵ Member D  
               ٳ        
                                

                   An Objects and its relationships
                   


The object can have a list of descriptions from different contributors
with different perspectives.

       The object can have a list of associated objects,
       The object can have a list of names,
       The object can belong to a list of groups,
       A list of  objects can be members of the object.
          The relationships between the object and the groups it belongs
          to and between the object and its members are also objects.

       A list of relationships can exist between two objects.

With MCKS, the user can view the object and all the objects shown in the
above diagram together with the multiple descriptions of each object from
different contributors.

The user can navigate through the system by selecting any visible object
and making it his new centre of focus.  By these means, MCKS gives the
user a more comprehensive access to the knowledge available.

4.3  Interfaces
Objects can interface with each other.   Interfaces between objects can be
visualised with the diagram below:-

  Ŀ
                
                OutputĿ             Ŀ             Ŀ
    Object A    Ĵ Ĵ Ĵ  Link
                                                 Objects
                       Input                         
  Ŀ                      
                                                     
                                                
         Ĵ   Object B    Ĵ Ĵ 
                                                
                                                     
                Ŀ       
                                                     
                                                
         Ĵ Ĵ   Object C    Ĵ 
                                                
                                                     
                               Ŀ
                                                             
                                                       
         Ĵ Ĵ Ĵ    Object D   
                                                       
                                                                
                                                 

                        An Object and Its Interfaces
                        

                           N Chart Notation
                           


The above chart is based on the N-Square method developed by TRW for their 
NASA projects.  The chart illustrates the following points:-

       Each object can interface with any other object,
       Each interface consists of an input and an output,
       The output from one object is the input to another object,
       Each interface is also an object,
       There can be multiple interfaces between two objects.

As with relationships, the user can view the object and all the objects 
shown in the above diagram together with the multiple descriptions of each 
object from different contributors.  In addition, MCKS also displays the 
relationships at the same time.

This view provides access to the total recorded knowledge on the object.

5.0  Applications of MCKS
MCKS is a tool for the documenting and management of knowledge. It 
can be used across industries and disciplines.  With MCKS, you can get a 
view of your world that you were never able to see before - a 
multi-centric view where every object is the centre of its own universe.  
The MCKS database also allows you to find:-

       the relationship between any two objects through multiple levels,
       common members of a groups of objects,
       common groups of a list of objects, and
       find common associations for a list of objects.

As a tool MCKS will find many applications.  Some obvious ones are listed 
below.

5.1  Organisation Structure and Procedure

Organisations striving to rejuvenate themselves are re-engineering their 
organisational structures and business procedures.  The re-engineering 
process can be traumatic and success is not guaranteed.  A great deal can 
be attributed to the lack of understanding of the actual structure and 
business procedures of the organisation because of the difficulty in 
documenting it.  With MCKS, it is hoped that the odds may be changed.

5.2  Economic Model

The study of economics is such a complex subject.  Economic entities range 
in size from economic blocs, nations, whole  industries, communities and 
companies down to the individual.  All these entities relate and interface 
with each other in many complex ways including trade, culture, defence, 
technology, law, geography and so on.

We know that a lot of economic phenomena are the result of chain effects.  
Documenting the links between the various economic entities is a first 
step towards understanding this complexity.

5.4  Studies
In a typical study a vast amount of information is collected.  If more 
than one team member is involved, reviewing this information is very time 
consuming and we need high concentration and memory power to retain all 
these information for us to prepare the final report.  MCKS will allow all 
the little bits of information to be documented and links can be 
established for instant recall.  The MCKS where study database can be 
supplied as part of the final report.  More importantly, if a future study 
is required, it can continue from where the last study left off.

6.0  MultiCentric Technology
The underlying philosophy behind MCKS MultiCentric Technology.  Existing 
systems can be greatly enhanced by incorporating this technology.   
Examples include computer operating systems, inventory management, asset 
management, contact management, library systems, trade directories, 
Internet Newsgroups and so on.

7.0  What Next?
The obvious next step is to develop a MultiCentric Knowledge client/server 
system for the Internet.  On this can be built public knowledge databases 
containing contributions from experts around the world on various 
subjects.  Each database will contain the past and current knowledge and 
thinking in the relevant field.   It will be necessary for the database to 
be moderated to ensure that it is not populated with duplicated 
information.

The text display of the MCKS object can be in the HTML format to allow for 
inline images and hypertext links.  We will then have a tool that combines 
both information and knowledge databases.

Acknowledgements

KH Koh - for his assistance in the documentation of MCKS.

Zhiwen Chong and KH Koh for beta testing the program and providing 
valuable suggestions.


Copyright (C) 1995 - Aw Kong Koy
kkaw@online.po.my
http://www.jaring.my/~online
Updated: 10-08-95 03:20pm


Disclaimer
This document is presentation based and can represents at best, only a 
small fraction of my thoughts and knowledge.




