INTELLIGENT DATABASES AND INTEROPERABILITY

Reuse of existing applications for building new applications requires the integration of heterogeneous and potentially distributed autonomous systems. Therefore interoperability will be one main issue in the design of future intelligent information systems. In the framework of a layered architecture we suggest a cyclic model of interoperable systems in order to allow reuse of new applications as interoperable information sources. We disuss some possible contributions of AI techniques to the solution of interoperability problems. A short description of an information system for planning, surveying and engineering applications in the mining industry substantiates the necessity of interoperability in a real life setting.