A DISTRIBUTED SYSTEMS APPROACH TO KNOWLEDGE-BASED SYSTEMS FOR THE UTILISATION OF SOUTH AFRICAN WOOL
Nomusa Dlodlo, Lawrance Hunter, Cyprian Cele, Anton F. Botha, Roger Metelerkamp- General Materials Science
Abstract Potential and present investors in the South African (S.A.) wool industry need up-to-date information on the production and properties of the wool they need for the particular end-products they manufacture or intend to manufacture. This article describes the concept and development of a knowledge-based advisory system on the utilisation of South African wool for the benefit of present and potential investors and other interested parties. The architecture of the system encompasses the concept of distributed systems and the related advantages in its general architecture and within its internal components. It marries both expert and general knowledge-based systems.