READIT-2007 - Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research

4. WHY IKR?
Organizations need to gather all the information that they need to know for
their survival and then pool the captured information at a common place as a
repository. The type of information include organization’s accumulated operational
data, its manuals and procedures, research outputs, case studies, contingency
management reports etc. These are essential information that today's management
needs frequently and the same has to be available for future use both in the near and
far. Such an organizational information repository becomes knowledge repository
when it is analyzed, adapted and used effectively for the organizational end. The
repository approach of organizing and consolidating information makes it possible for
all of its potential users to access it easily, and also enables information and
knowledge sharing. The repository approach also makes it possible for management
to organize and access information by specific area of interest, and to make it
available to employees more easily in any situation.
5. TECHNOLOGIES OF IKR
The information technology acts as an enabler for knowledge management.
There are several technologies and each has got a significant role to play in building
institutional knowledge repository.
5.1 Intranet, Internet
Intranets and Internets offer new ways to manage and communicate data,
information and knowledge. Intranets have emerged as one of the most effective ways
of sharing information and knowledge with in organizations.
5.2 Groupware
Groupware provides a means for increased collaboration and information
transfer through e-mail, calendaring, contacts, project management and scheduling
capabilities. It is essentially information sharing. But with IKR, groupware will be
used for knowledge transfer through services like ask an expert, consult etc. Some
common groupware products are Microsoft’s Exchange server, Lotus Notes and
GroupWise.
5.3 Intelligent Agents
The problem of information overload is becoming acute for many
professionals. Intelligent agents can be trained to roam networks to select and alert
users of new relevant information. Additionally they can be used to eliminate less
relevant information from information feeds.
5.4 Mapping Tools
There are an increasing number of tools to develop cognitive maps or ‘shared
mental models’. Companies to develop future scenarios and resolve conflicting
situations have used these cognitive maps. Mapping tools can represent conceptual
linkages between different knowledge resources.
5.5 Document Management
Documents, and especially structured documents, are the form in which more
explicit knowledge is shared. With proper annotations, indexing, highlighting etc, the
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