The Blackboard Model of Problem Solving and the Evolution of Blackboard Architectures
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1609/aimag.v7i2.537Abstract
The first blackboard system was the HEARSAY-II speech understanding system (Erman et al.,1980) that evolved between 1971 and 1976. Subsequently, many systems have been built that have similar system organization and run-time behavior. The objectives of this article are (1) to define what is meant by "blackboard systems" and (2) to show the richness and diversity of blackboard system designs. The article begins with a discussion of the underlying concept behind all blackboard systems, the blackboard model of problem solving. In order to bridge the gap between a model and working systems, the blackboard framework, an extension of the basic blackboard model is introduced, including a detailed description of the model's components and their behavior. A model does not come into existence on its own, and is usually an abstraction of many examples. In Section 2 the history of ideas is traced, and the designs of some application systems that helped shape the blackboard model are detailed. Part 2 of this article which will appear in the next issue of AI Magazine, describes and contrasts some blackboard systems and discusses the characteristics of application problems suitable for the blackboard method of problem solving.
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Published
1986-06-15
How to Cite
Nii, H. P. (1986). The Blackboard Model of Problem Solving and the Evolution of Blackboard Architectures. AI Magazine, 7(2), 38. https://doi.org/10.1609/aimag.v7i2.537
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