Information mediation in cyberspace: Scalable methods for declarative information networks

An end-to-end discussion, from logical architecture to implementation, of issues and design decisions in declarative information networks is presented. A declarative information network is defined to be a dynamic and decentralized structure where value-added services are declared and applied as mediators in a scalable and controlled manner. A primary result is the need to adopt dynamically linked ontologies as the semantic basis for knowledge sharing in scalable networks. It is shown that data mining techniques provide a promising basis upon which to explore and develop this result. Our prototype system, entitled Mystique, is described in terms of KQML, distributed object management, and distributed agent execution. An example shows how we map our architecture into the World Wide Web (WWW) and transform the appearance of the WWW into an intelligently integrated and multi-subject distributed information network.