Knowledge networks and distributed knowledge systems

Organizations are faced with developing communication strategies that maintain centralized and fully accessible knowledge bases while at the same time trying to compete in a highly decentralized market place. Numerous networked devices serve the purpose of connecting human knowledge capital. The Knowledge Networks and Distributed Knowledge Systems mini-track presents manuscripts that identify and examine mechanisms for knowledge workers to access knowledge capital inherent in knowledge networks by examining the practices of knowledge workers and the networks in which they work. In our first paper, Kafentzis, Georgolios, Bouras, and Mentzas present “An Ontology-based Architecture for Knowledge Commerce.” The authors argue that inter-organizational knowledge networks and knowledge marketplaces have emerged in order to enable organizations to share or commercially exploit their knowledge outside narrow organizational borders. The materialization of these structures requires concrete and sound mechanisms for the efficient external provision of knowledge stored in knowledge repositories and for the conclusion of agreements among parties that will specify the terms and conditions of knowledge transactions. The paper presents an approach for publishing knowledge repositories using semantic web services as a vehicle in order to realize knowledge transactions in an open environment. In “An Ontology-based Architecture for Tracking Information across Interactive Electronic Environments,” Scharl, Weichselbraun and Liu present a technical foundation, roadmap and initial results of the IDIOM project (Information Diffusion across Interactive Online Media). The system attempts to reveal fundamental mechanisms of information diffusion across media with distinct interactive characteristic by exploring web based diffusion inherent across Web sites, Web logs and online forums. IDIOM tracks this process and compares it to direct communication through electronic mail and instant messaging. The manuscript calls on concepts from multiple disciplines to lend understanding to the determinants, structure and impact of electronic content. Finally, in “Knowledge Simulation via Relationship Mapping & Network Science,” Halladay and Milligan to initiate a new perspective on knowledge related approaches to data and information management. The paper describes a paradigm shift by introducing knowledge simulation resulting in knowledge inference. Knowledge simulation is based on network science principles rather than structured metadata. Knowledge inference suggests knowledge potential by relaxing requirements for human understanding but increasing capability for human interaction in directing computational analysis. The work to be presented is built on many propriety technologies but lessons learned should prove to be valuable for persons interested in sitting in on this paper presentation. We wish to thank who submitted their work for consideration in this mini-track. We would also like to thank the individuals who gave their time and effort in providing reviews for the submitted manuscripts. We look forward to a great session.