Title: A novel apporach towards in integration of multiple knowledge sources

Authors: Barbara Messing, Jacques Calmet and Joachim Schü.

Abstract This work is to be considered as an extension of the integration mediator proposed by Wiederhold to deal with heterogenous databases. Former approaches towards an integration of different knowledge sources through a common interchange format, KIF seem to be dead according to Ginsberg, because of the unability to incorporate future developments in knowledge representation. We would like therefore to perform the integration of already existing knowledge sources, such as databases (relational and object-oriented), knowledge-based systems, spreadsheets and statistical programs by the use of a deductive database based upon annotated logic from Kifer, Lozinskii, Subrahmanian and Lu and constraint programming. The use of annotated logic allows a proper integration of inconsistent, temporal and uncertain knowledge, the use of multiple constraint domains enables the amalgamation of semantically different knowledge representations. Annotated logic furthermore enables the use of methods for performance improvement from classical logic such as magic sets since annotated logic resolution calculus is closely related to ordinary resolution calculus.