Abstract
The number of electronic knowledge bases on the world wide web is exploding. Organizations and individuals are investing time and resources to build and maintain knowledge bases. However, they have currently have minimal guidance in this effort. Identifying the underlying characteristics of existing knowledge bases and different paths they take for the creation, synthesis and organization of knowledge, is the first step towards determining the best model for designing knowledge bases in the future. In this paper we present an analysis of electronic knowledge bases which have a presence on the WWW and are related to information technology. This work is a preliminary effort in the development of a knowledge base design theory. A total of 38 such knowledge bases were identified and then categorized along two dimensions: "Mode of Interaction" and "Approach for Knowledge Organization". The results show that the majority of current knowledge bases focus on low levels of interaction and give little thought to the organization of their knowledge. At the same time, several knowledge bases with innovative approaches are identified. Taken together, they can serve as models for building more effective web-based knowledge bases which not only capture and disseminate knowledge but leverage information technology to improve the process of knowledge creation
Recommended Citation
Hars, Alexander and Malhotra, Arvind, "Emerging Web-Based Knowledge-Bases: Categories, Trends and Implications for the IS Research Community" (1997). AMCIS 1997 Proceedings. 108.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/amcis1997/108