Functionality of GNOWSYS

Based on the discussion above, one may see that it is very difficult to give an exhaustive list of applications using GNOWSYS. Only a few applications envisaged with GNOWSYS are presented here. Since the system can be used as knowledge base on personal computers, it can be deployed for desktop as well as server oriented applications.

• As a web based hybrid database (as a file system, RDBMS, OODBMS, distributed DBMS) with querying and remote management. This feature will make it highly suitable for agent oriented computing solutions across the Internet.
• For building structured knowledge bases with a higher degree of expressiveness. This will help build AI based applications using GNOWSYS as a database. Digital encyclopedia, thesauri, dictionaries or glossaries can be made very easily. Even multi-lingual databases for machine based translation can be linked from one GNOWSYS instance to another since distributed relations between objects across the network is possible.[33]
• Lessons and concepts (learning resources) can be organized according to the standard metadata suggested by LOM/SCORM models. Learning paths, evaluation tracks, usage history etc., can be persistently stored and accessed by establishing networking relations and conditions among them. Concept graphs, and semantic networks can be built easily since the highest possible granularity of learnable resources in GNOWSYS are concepts. Automated objective evaluation can be achieved by matching expert's with learner's knowledge map. Dynamics of learning (cognitive development) can be modeled.
• Using semantic computing feature of GNOWSYS, online tutorials can be built for teaching procedural skills such as mathematics, programming languages.
• Most semantic web solutions require the use of XML based representations like OWL, XTM etc. GNOWSYS is unique in its ability to provide semantic web without the use of XML, though using the data-exchange sub-system of GNOWSYS it is possible to export/import the content in XML or for that matter any other markup.
• Since GNOWSYS database is available as a web-server, dynamic web sites and web services can be made by employing the powerful ZPT, Python Script objects, and DTML templates available in ZOPE. Zope users need not use an external database, instead they can use GNOWSYS. Web sites built with GNOWSYS are ``semantic web ready'', for the structure of the data can be queried by software agents. Normal dynamic web sites conceal the database scheme, while GNOWSYS sites do not.
• As object sharing system can be built for huge desktop solutions that use CORBA like implementations, like GNOME/KDE etc. This will save processing time since data files are stored persistently in the database and not as XML files as is the case currently in thees desktops. This will make reusability of data across applications very efficient.
• As a personal knowledge manager (PIM) application for storing, and organizing emails, hyperlinks, notes, documents, books, blogs, files etc., with optional attributes to publish, can build a custom home page efficiently. GNOWSYS can send email through SMTP servers and receive through POP3 protocol.
• A file system with user level attributes on files is available on modern file systems like XFS. For storing very large knowledge bases GNOWSYS is being ported to XFS file system. This indicates the possibility of using GNOWSYS for a semantic desktop OS with cacheable metadata and data.