Knowledge base enrichment via object oriented creativity techniques

The authors first summarize the strengths and weaknesses of knowledge acquisition (KA) techniques within the context of exploratory object-oriented models (OOM). These techniques typically capture what is regarded as known or true or important, providing a necessary but insufficient foundation of information for exploratory modeling. The authors then describe creativity tools developed to enrich the knowledge bases associated with exploratory models. Appropriate definitions of creativity are described. The authors argue that the fundamental philosophy of creativity techniques is of value in overcoming KA weaknesses. Three specific creativity tools are described. Fresh Look, Boundary Examination, and Hypothetical Situations. The utility of each tool for enriching the OOM is described