3.

ComMet: Compositional Modelling

The ComMet (Compositional Methodology) was introduced by Steels

lo underline that knowledge inside an traditional. first generation expert system can be
usefully decomposed into distinct and independent types or components, Such a
decomposition aims at a better understanding of expert systems. at the explicit
description of knowledge engineering skills, and supports the system's robustness and the
generation of better explanations.

3.1 Three Different Views on an Application

Steels identified three different types or components: tasks. methods and

models. Each knowledge based system or application is designed on the
knowledge level in using these components. This may be interpreted as the
description clan application under three different views or perspectives. Tasks
and subtasks describe what needs to be accomplished by the application, methods
describe how the knowledge contained in domain models a declarative
description of knowledge required by a task — is applied in certain situations.

- The Model View: a model is an abstract description or reality in terms of

objects. relationships. properties and attributes of an object. relationships
between properties or objects. etc. Two types of a model are distinguished
a domain model and a case model, A domain model is fixed in a particular
application and valid for a whole domain: the case model is built up
by the application and is specific to the case that the application is trying
to resolve. A specific class or domain models are ontologies that define
vocabularies that can be used in other models.

-The Task View and the Model-Dependency Diagrams: a task is some-thing that needs to
be accomplished. A task has an impact on target models and consults source models. A
task may produce also input and output from and to some interface. These relationships
are illustrates in the model-dependency diagram which depicts the data flow relationships
between models and tasks, in particular between the source and target models of each
task as well as its interfaces. Tasks may be decomposable and task taxonomies are
illustrated graphically. too. primitive tasks are called solution tasks, decomposable ones
are called decomposition tasks.

A distinction is made between domain acquisition tasks and application tasks. The first
ones are responsible for the acquisition of knowledge to build the domain models. The
latter ones are responsible for developing the case models. Them are also two distinct task
structures: a taxonomy of Ka task for the ka tool =lol and a structure of application tasks
for the application itself.
• The Method View and the Control Diagrams: a method is an algorithm, series of
activities related by control flows. which specifies how a task is accomplished. There are
various types of methods, for example, task decomposition methods for the creation of
subtasks, solution or inference methods for the achievement of primitive tasks. Inference
methods may be generic or have a special type, for example, a procedure. Acquisition
methods are used for the acquisition of domain and case models. These methods are
specific for a given model type. The control that a method imposes on its subtasks can be
graphically represented as a control diagram. The control diagrams can be used to impose
an order on the execution of tasks.

3.2 Designing an Application The workbench allows for validation through modularity
because of independent components, and the workbench supports design at the
knowledge level which is systematically linked to the symbol level. One of the main
objectives in ComMet is the reusability of components and the configuration and design of
applications by non-experts of the knowledge engineering domain. Design proceeds in
choosing for each model a corresponding model type and for each task an appropriate
method. Design is a cyclic or spiral process starting for example with the construction of a
task view for the application. The designer identifies next the models which are
constructed or consulted by each task. and finally the methods which are used to achieve
each task. This results typically in a new decomposition of the existing task structure.

More recently, Steels lies developed the COMMET Workbench [65], which builds on the
Componential Methodology approach [04]. COMMET requires one to define classes of
domain models, methods, and knowledge acquisition methods that are encapsulated into
applications kits. From these, and the hypothesis of a one-to-one mapping between
knowledge level objects and symbol-level components, the Workbench hi able to
generate an application directly from the knowledge-level model.

COMMET already defined these three sorts of models that we can consider as three
perspectives on the studied system:
— The task model( describes the activities of the agents and the correlated knowledge
flow:
— The knowledge model describes the used knowledge; more precisely, it describes the
abstract structures that may be Imposed to the pieces or knowledge manipulated during
task execution. This knowledge decomposes into case knowledge (i.e. the parameters of
the particular case treated by the agent) and domain knowledge which reused across
cases.
— The method model: describes the methods that are used for performing the tasks
( which operations, applied to which part of the knowledge allow to realize which task);