Some applications of formal methods to the design of distributed knowledge base systems

The paper describes a technique for formally defining the semantics of a knowledge base language-the Vienna development method (VDM). The technique is shown to have applications in query optimisation and in the maintenance of consistency of the knowledge. The paper suggests that the same approach can help in the development of translators between different knowledge models. It is also anticipated that the development of formal models of knowledge will help in the integration of responses from different nodes, enabling the system to return a single coherent response to the user, based on knowledge contributed from several different sources