Embeddable problem-solving architectures: a study of integrating OPS5 with GBB

Discusses the need and requirements for problem-solving architectures that can be embedded within other architectures and that can coexist with multiple instances of themselves and with other problem solvers. The additional requirements needed to produce such an architecture are minor, and the increased applicability of the problem-solving architecture is substantial. A specific case of system embedding arose with the Generic BlackBoard development system (GBB). The blackboard paradigm naturally integrates heterogeneous problem-solving representations as individual knowledge sources (KSs). In principle, a KS could be written using any shell embedded within GBB. This idea was pursued by developing general specifications for problem-solving architectures which can be embedded in, or coexist with, other architectures. The specifications were used to modify the public-domain version of OPS5 in order to embed it as an integral KS language within GBB. The OPS5 modifications resulted in an easily integrated GBB KS language that has been used in several GBB applications