Frank Maurer, Gerhard Pews

• In this paper we present an interpreter which allows to support the validation of conceptual models in early stages of the development. We compare hypermedia and expert system approaches to knowledge processing and show how an integrated approach eases the creation of expert systems. Our knowledge engineering tool CoMo-Kit allows a "smooth" transition from initial protocols via a semi-formal specification based on a typed hypertext up to an running expert system. The interpreter uses the intermediate hypertext representation for the interactive solution of problems. Thereby, tasks are distributed to agents via an local area network. This means that the specification of an expert system can directly be used to solve real world problems. If there exist formal (operational) specifications for subtasks then these are delegated to computers. Therefore, our approach allows to specify and validate distributed, cooperative systems where some subtasks are solved by humans and other subtasks are solved automatically by computers.