An agent-based approach for integrating user profile into a knowledge management process

This paper presents an approach based on a user agent to permit a number of users connected to distant machines to access different information sources in order to satisfy their requests. This user agent permits the simpli®cation of the information search from distributed sources by making them transparent to the users. The agent considers the speci®c needs of each user during the search and responds with reference to their pro®le. It also permits the processing of one or more information requests by one or more users, as well as concurrent responses to each of them. Moreover, the agent provides its users with a measure of interaction, in order to enhance the quality and quantity of the results obtained. As a result, the agent is endowed with the ability to ®lter and re®ne the search, thus improving its service to the users. q 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.