Objectivistic knowledge artifacts
Data Technologies and Applications
ISSN: 2514-9288
Article publication date: 11 January 2018
Issue publication date: 7 February 2018
Abstract
Purpose
By establishing a conceptual path through the field of artificial intelligence for objectivistic knowledge artifacts (KAs), the purpose of this paper is to propose an extension to their design principles. The author uses these principles to deploy KAs for knowledge acquired in scientific processes, to determine whether these principles steer the design of KAs that are amenable for both human and computational manipulation.
Design/methodology/approach
Adopting the design principles mentioned above, the author describes the deployment of KAs in collaboration with a group of scientists to represent knowledge gained in scientific processes. The author then analyzes the resulting usage data.
Findings
Usage data reveal that human scientists could enter scientific KAs within the proposed structure. The scientists were able to create associations among them, search and retrieve KAs, and reuse them in drafts of reports to funding agencies. These results were observed when scientists were motivated by imminent incentives.
Research limitations/implications
Previous work has shown that objectivistic KAs are suitable for representing knowledge in computational processes. The data analyzed in this work show that they are suitable for representing knowledge in processes conducted by humans. The need for imminent incentives to motivate humans to contribute KAs suggests a limitation, which may be attributed to the exclusively objectivistic perspective in their design. The author hence discusses the adoption of situativity principles for a more beneficial implementation of KAs.
Originality/value
The suitability for interaction with both human and computational processes makes objectivistic KAs candidates for use as metadata to intersect humans and computers, particularly for scientific processes. The author found no previous work implementing objectivistic KAs for scientific knowledge.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the US EPA-Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Program and the US Department of Homeland Security Programs, Grant No. R83236201. The author thanks the members of the CAMRA community, the invited editors, and the reviewers who helped improve this article. Special thanks also to Adam J. Johs for his comments. The work described in the retrieval experiment was conducted in the period from 2005 to 2011 under IRB Protocol No. 16449.
Citation
Weber, R.O. (2018), "Objectivistic knowledge artifacts", Data Technologies and Applications, Vol. 52 No. 1, pp. 105-129. https://doi.org/10.1108/DTA-03-2017-0012
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited