The GKB-Editor consists of three main modules: a graphical interactive display, based upon Grasper-CL, a library of generic knowledge-base functions, and corresponding libraries of frame-representation specific methods, both based upon Open Knowledge Base Connectivity (OKBC) . GKB-Editor versions 2.6 and earlier used Generic Frame Protocol (GFP), which is a predecessor of OKBC. When the user manipulates the display (e.g., editing the entry corresponding to the type of radar on an SA-4), generic functions are called (e.g., the put-slot-value function is called with the SA-4 frame, the radar-type slot, and the value pathand), which invoke the corresponding frame representation specific methods (e.g., the put-slot-value method for the Loom knowledge representation system from USC/ISI), which result in modifications or retrieval of information from the knowledge bases. All of the GKB-Editor's knowledge access and modification functionality has been developed using OKBC. As a direct result, the GKB-Editor will be immediately compatible with those FRSs for which the FRS-specific methods that implement the protocol have been defined, and extensible to the other FRSs.
The past approach of developing knowledge editors and browsers that were tightly wedded to a single FRS is impractical. The substantial efforts required to create such tools become lost if the associated FRS falls into disuse. Since most FRSs share a common core functionality, a more cost-effective approach is to amortize the cost of developing FRS interface tools across a number of FRSs. Because the GKB-Editor communicates with knowledge base systems through the OKBC, in order for FRS developers to take advantage of sophisticated browsing and editing capabilities, they need only provide a translation from their representation language to the language of the OKBC. This task is considerably simpler that that of building a graphical interface from scratch. From the user's point of view, the GKB-Editor masks the representational details of the different underlying knowledge representation systems, presenting a common look-and-feel for all FRSs. A single intuitive interface can be used by domain experts to freely access, understand, utilize, or modify the knowledge stored under multiple frame systems.
GKB-Editor will run with any FRS for which there is a OKBC interface. Release 3.1 has been tested with Ontolingua from Knowledge System Laboratory, Stanford and Ocelot, which is an FRS developed at SRI International. Previous releases of GKB-Editor (2.6 and earlier) have been tested with Loom 2.1 and Loom 3.0 from USC/ISI, with Theo from CMU, and with SIPE from SRI.
To obtain the GKB-Editor, see the Installation Instructions.