Know Web – developing methodologies and tools for knowledge sharing

The Know Web project involved the development of methodologies and tools to help enhance knowledge sharing in organisations. This paper discusses the evaluation of six pilot applications which ran over four main areas: retail (2), e-commerce (2), libraries, and education. Running across the pilot applications there are four generic areas which have been evaluated. These are the Know Web engine, domain modelling, the front end user interface, and a consultancy/tailored software product in which the consultancy plays a major role. The evaluation results indicate that the current status of the Know Web software precludes it from being marketed commercially at this stage as a final product. Improvements to end user need sensitivity were noted, but these are overshadowed by difficulties of integration with existing software, complexities in domain modelling, problems with input and retrieval, significant reductions in system speed, and complicated extra work.