Blackboard systems

Blackboards are a problem solving framework. A blackboard is not used to "search for a solution" but to "assemble knowledge".

A blackboard framework provides:
- reasoning flexibility (backward-chaining, forward-chaining, etc);
- participation of varied sources of knowledge;
- opportunistic contributions;
- incremental solutions;
- interleaving of different forms of reasoning.

Problem Solving:
- divide the problem into loosely coupled subtasks (areas of specialization);
- the solution space is divided in regions (levels) containing partial or intermediate solutions;
- the information in each region is globally accessible on the blackboard, making it a medium of interaction between the knowledge sources;
- the decision to employ a particular knowledge source is made dynamically using the current solution state;
- caveat: the problem partitioning in subproblems makes a great difference in clarity, speed, resources, and the ability to find a solution!


Read more about this subject in Blackboard Systems by Englemore and Morgan.