Collaboration control in distributed knowledge-based systems

A distributed knowledge-based system (DKBS) is a collection of autonomous knowledge-based systems called agents. We assume here that these agents are capable of interacting with each other. They work together in solving queries submitted to DKBS according to their respective abilities. Each agent is represented by an information system (collection of data) and a dictionary (collection of rules). In [10], we proposed that an agent of DKBS can request from other agents rough descriptions of ail unknown attribute values used in a query submitted to him. Some of these descriptions do not have to be consistent because they are created independently by different agents. The problem of repairing such descriptions (see [15]) requires additional interaction between all involved agents. Communication control between them is necessary. (C) Elsevier Science Inc. 1997