[This is the template for the evaluation of knowledge management tools
as Assignment 1 for the CPE/CSC 580 class, Spring 2001.
Replace the text in square brackets with your material, send me
the completed file via email to
fkurfess@csc.calpoly.edu.
Not all issues may be relevant for all tools; if this is the case,
put N/A there.]
[The IHMC CmapToolkit allows its users to construct, navigate, share, and criticize knowledge models of any domain represented or organized as concept maps. The toolkit is written using Java technology, thus making it platform-independent but at the same time requires the Java Virtual Machine to be installed on the client machine. Currently supported platforms include Macintosh, Linux, Solaris, and Windows. It is also network-capable so that users anywhere on the network may collaborate on the construction of concept maps. Additionally, the network capability of the toolkit allows others to share and to browse created concept maps. One very desirable feature the toolkit has is the ability to export the projects as html documents or image files so that they can be easily integrated into websites for public access on the Internet.]
[The addition of knowledge, whether it be a new collection or an expansion to an existing collection, is done by creating the concept boxes and making the necessary links between them to form the appropriate propositions. The nicely designed GUI makes this task relatively simple and straightforward. The IHMC CmapToolkit is also capable of merging concept maps and has the ability to validate the various links between the different concepts. In addition to linking multiple concept maps together to create a whole new set of concept maps to navigate through (i.e., macro and micro concept maps), other knowledge formats such as text files, images, movies, URL's, etc. can be linked to the concepts to provide additional information about the concepts. The toolkit also provides the capability to construct concept maps collaboratively. Discussion threads can be created for users to critique on the concept maps being constructed, and username/password access can be assigned to any !
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specific concept map to give only certain users the ability to modify the concept map.]
[The IHMC CmapToolkit organizes knowledge based on the notion of macro and micro concept maps. Macro concept maps are upper layer maps that give a more generalized, global overview of the major ideas, whereas micro concept maps are the lower layer maps that provide the specific information about a particular idea that is presented in the macro concept maps. The macro and micro concept maps are simply connected via links that specify the relationships between the maps. This approach gives the IHMC CmapToolkit a highly hierarchical structure and facilitates the retrieval and the learning of the knowledge contained within.]
[The graphical nature of concept maps makes the visualization of knowledge relatively easy. The notion of macro and micro concept maps allows the creation of highly organized and uncluttered representation of knowledge, which ultimately aids in the understanding of that knowledge. To make the visualization aspect even simpler, the IHMC CmapToolkit provides the users with the capability to distinguish the various concepts and relationships with differing styles such as colors, fonts, text sizes, etc. One very nice feature of the toolkit is the ability to create links using Bezier curves. This feature reduces the likelihood of visual overlapping of concepts/links and gives the concept maps a highly professional appearance. Furthermore, the toolkits offers a spell checker and an auto layout function that automatically rearranges the concept maps in a compact, organized fashion.]
[One of the fundamental principles behind concept maps is the integration of new knowledge with previous concepts and propositional frameworks, which lends itself to the idea of macro and micro concept maps. This hierarchical approach essentially turns knowledge retrieval into a process of navigating through the concept maps, starting from the upper-level macro maps and traversing to the lower-level micro maps as more and more knowledge is retrieved. The IHMC CmapToolkit provides a search function through which all concepts stored in a project or an entire database can be searched via keywords. However, this search function seems to be a rather primitive one, as it does not indicate the exact location within the concept map where the searched concept lies, which could potentially make knowledge retrieval more difficult than is necessary when dealing with complex concept maps. Furthermore, it would be nice if links (i.e., the relationships between concepts) can be searched!
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as well. Due to the nature of concept maps, the efficiency of knowledge retrieval is also dependent on the construction of concept maps. A poorly constructed concept map will certainly make knowledge retrieval much more difficult.]
[The IHMC CmapToolkit unfortunately does not collect meta-data for the purpose of analyzing the usage of the knowledge. The toolkit is essentially designed to provide a knowledge database through which knowledge can be retrieved. It has no provision to determine whether or not certain knowledge items are relevant for a particular task.]
[As mentioned previously, the IHMC CmapToolkit offers its users the ability to construct concept maps collaboratively. Through the creation of discussion threads and knowledge soups, various users, even those that are physically far apart, can participate in the construction of concept maps. Username/password can be set up to allow only a limited number of users to have full access to the concept maps. This feature allows an individual or organization the ability to receive comments or suggestions on the concept maps they are creating simply by making them available on a public domain without the risk of them being altered inadvertently. This feature is also suitable for knowledge management purposes after the concept maps have been created and put to use. It facilitates the collection of user feedback that often require updates or addition to the knowledge database, and this task can be performed by a group of individuals instead of a single individual, which makes know!
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ledge maintenance more efficient.]
[The idea of concept maps lends itself well to the creation of organizational memory, and the client-server architecture of the IHMC CmapToolkit is especially well suited for this purpose. For instance, various departments within an organization can create their own sets of concept maps to be stored on a central server from which knowledge of the organization can be easily retrieved by anyone in the organization. The collaborative feature of the toolkit described above also allows for easy management and maintenance of such system whereby knowledge can be efficiently added or updated.]