Metaphors for knowledge capture, sharing and reuse

Managing and reusing knowledge in architecture, engineering and construction (A/E/C) firms can lead to greater competitive advantage, improved designs, and more effective management of constructed facilities. However knowledge reuse often fails, since is not captured, it is captured out of context rendering it not reusable, or there are no formal mechanisms for finding and retrieving reusable knowledge. This paper presents ongoing research on design knowledge capture, sharing, and reuse in support of global teamwork. It introduces the notion of knowledge in context. This is based on the argument that in order for knowledge to be reusable, the user should be able to see the context in which this knowledge was originally created and interact with this rich content. Innovative interaction metaphors are explored based on needs finding, formalization, and implementation of natural idioms that facilitate knowledge capture, sharing, and reuse.