Knowledge Modeling In Design - The MOKA Framework

Design and engineering are knowledge intensive processes. Large amounts of different types of knowledge are needed in real world applications. An essential pre–requisite for the usage and re–use of this knowledge is an adequate modeling framework which describes the role or roles of each ’piece’ of knowledge in the overall context. The MOKA framework has been developed as a generic scheme for design knowledge modeling. It is based on a knowledge level theory of design and an accompanied design process theory. The design theory provides a semi–formal description of the main knowledge categories in design mediated by the three meta level predicates ’fulfills’, ’consistent’, and ’complete’ which describe the main aspects of design and guide the design process. The design process theory describes the interplay between synthesis and analysis as the main activities in design problem solving. The notion of elaboration is introduced as generalization of dynamic synthetic problem solving. Based on this theory we describe the MOKA framework for design knowledge modeling. Its main features are the usage of goals as essential modeling element connecting domain and problem solving knowledge and the explicit introduction of a strategic reasoning layer and its relation to domain and problem solving knowledge.