This article does not cite any sources . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . Find sources:   "Domain knowledge"  ?  news   · newspapers   · books   · scholar   · JSTOR ( December 2009 ) ( Learn how and when to remove this message )

Domain knowledge is knowledge of a specific discipline or field in contrast to general (or domain-independent) knowledge. The term is often used in reference to a more general discipline?for example, in describing a software engineer who has general knowledge of computer programming as well as domain knowledge about developing programs for a particular industry. People with domain knowledge are often regarded as specialists or experts in their field.

Knowledge capture [ edit ]

In software engineering , domain knowledge is knowledge about the environment in which the target system operates, for example, software agents . Domain knowledge usually must be learned from software users in the domain (as domain specialists/experts), rather than from software developers. It may include user workflows, data pipelines, business policies, configurations and constraints and is crucial in the development of a software application. Expert domain knowledge (frequently informal and ill-structured) is transformed in computer programs and active data, for example in a set of rules in knowledge bases, by knowledge engineers .

Communicating between end-users and software developers is often difficult. They must find a common language to communicate in. Developing enough shared vocabulary to communicate can often take a while.

The same knowledge can be included in different domain knowledge. Knowledge which may be applicable across a number of domains is called domain-independent knowledge, for example logic and mathematics. Operations on domain knowledge are performed by metaknowledge .

See also [ edit ]

• Artificial intelligence
• Domain (software engineering)
• Domain engineering
• Domain of discourse
• Knowledge engineering
• Subject-matter expert

Literature [ edit ]

• Hjørland, B. & Albrechtsen, H. (1995). Toward A New Horizon in Information Science: Domain Analysis . Journal of the American Society for Information Science , 1995, 46(6), p. 400?425.