Design and analysis techniques for concurrent blackboard systems

Abstract

This paper gives a Formal Model for Blackboard Systems that provides a consistent method for describing a blackboard system. The Formal Model describes the basic components of a blackboard system and how the components interact. A set of blackboard system design tools has been developed and validated for implementing systems that are expressed using the Formal Model. The tools are used to test and refine a proposed blackboard system design before the design is implemented. The set of blackboard system design tools consists of a Knowledge Source Organizer, a Knowledge Source Input/Output Connectivity Analyzer, a validated Blackboard System Simulation Model, and a Blackboard system Code Generator. The lack of design and analysis tools has hindered the full realization of the concurrency inherent in the blackboard problem-solving model. Use of a centralized control mechanism and knowledge source contention in accessing the blackboard have restricted the concurrency possible in previous systems. Using the design, simulation, and analysis tools, a fast, efficient, and powerful concurrent object-oriented blackboard system has been developed. © 1996 IEEE.