Can Description Logics Be Used in Real-Life Knowledge-Based Systems?

In 1995, I nished my Ph.D. project which was focused on the selection of adequate Knowledge-Representation Systems (KRSs) for research applications. When I started working at the Unilever Research Laboratorium in the position of Knowledge Engineer, my private research question was Can logic-based KRSs be used in Knowledge-Based Systems (KBSs) within the Industrial Unilever Environment? In this paper, I try to answer this question. The main conclusion is that Description Logics (DLs), a particular type of KRSs, seem to have appropriate characteristics to represent a part of the application knowledge. However, business-oriented issues have to be resolved before DLs can be used in real-life applications. 1 Knowledge-Based Systems in the Industrial Unilever Environment Unilever is one of the world's largest fast-moving consumer goods manufacturers, with products ranging from foods and beverages to detergents and cosmetics. Unilever produces a large number of so-called "A"br...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 1996
• Where: DLOG
• Authors: Piet-Hein Speel
• Keywords: Automated Reasoning, DLOG 1996, Industrial Unilever Environment, Knowledge-based System, Unilever