Knowledge System

Formal Statement

Formally, GSSD can be characterized as a computer implementation method for the facilitation, identification, and storage of data and the communication of information among a plurality of geographically separated entities working to solve problems related to global sustainability. The knowledge strategy consists of:

1. Organizing knowledge and data related to global sustainability problems into several hierarchies of interrelated sub-concepts stored on several computer systems and interconnected by a number of communication links;

2. Each sub-concept of hierarchies belongs to a category and has at least one attribute and one sub-attribute;
a. defining the connectivities between data among and within hierarchies of interrelated sub-concepts stored on a plurality of computer systems that are already storing data;
b. providing a mapping between the data related to each of the sub-concepts and computer systems of storing data;

3. Providing access for a plurality of entities to data within any of the sub-concepts stored in pluralities of remote locations in response to mapping specifications; and

4. Providing access to data and information of hierarchies of interrelated sub-concepts on any computer system from any sub-concept according to defined connectivity and mapping provided by system functions.

Application

Each substantive domain or issue area is framed in terms of:

Slices
Consisting of issue-specific materials

Rings
Covering activities, as well as problems & solutions

Cells
Representing the intersections of particular slices and rings

Concepts
Referring to key sub-topics or subjects within each cell

System implementation
Consists of a strategy and mechanism for locating, integrating, annotating, and updating knowledge; an adaptive method for representing and organizing knowledge; and a set of flexible functionalities enabling navigation, searching and browsing, and targeted management.