Fraud detection and prevention systems are based on various technological paradigms but the most prevailing one is rule-based reasoning. However, most of the existing rule-based fraud detection systems consist of fixed and inflexible decision-making rules which limit significantly the effectiveness of such systems. In this paper we present a fraud detection approach which combines the technologies of knowledge-based systems and adaptive systems in order to overcome the limitations of traditional rule-based reasoning. Our approach is supported by an integrated generic methodology for addressing fraud in various e-government domains and organizations through a number of well defined steps that ensure the efficient application of the approach. It is supported also by a generic ontological framework based on which different domain specific fraud knowledge models can be built and through which the generic character and adaptability of our approach is ensured.

Developing infrastructures for trading knowledge services using semantic technologies.

Fraud detection and prevention systems are based on various technological paradigms but the two prevailing approaches are rule-based reasoning and data mining. In this paper we claim that ontologies, an increasingly popular and widely accepted knowledge representation paradigm, can help both of these approaches be more efficient as far as fraud detection is concerned and we introduce a methodology for building domain specific fraud ontologies in the e-government domain. The main characteristic of this methodology is a generic fraud ontology that serves as a common ontological basis on which the various domain specific fraud ontologies can be built. The methodology along with the generic fraud ontology consist a powerful conceptual tool through which knowledge engineers can easily adapt ontology-based fraud detection systems to virtually any e-government domain.

Abstract: The European iWebCare project (FP6-2004-IST-4-028055) aims at designing and developing a flexible fraud detection web services platform, which will be able to serve e-government processes of fraud detection and prevention, in order to ensure quality and accuracy and minimize loss of health care funds. This paper discusses the approach this project adopts and which involves the introduction of a fraud detection methodology combining business process modelling and knowledge engineering as well as the development of an integrated fraud detection platform combining an ontology-based rule engine and a self-learning module based on data mining. Key words: e-Government, e-Health, Knowledge-based systems, Fraud detection 1. INTRODUCTION Fraud is an issue with psychological, economic and legal ramifications for both the public and private sector spanning geographic regions. The last EHFCN (European Healthcare Fraud and Corruption Network) 1 conference produced agreement among members on a common definition of fraud: “Civil fraud is the use or presentation of false, incorrect or incomplete statements and/or documents, or the non-disclosure of information in violation of a legally enforceable obligation to

Knowledge deriving from owned information and experience is an asset that has begun to be recognised by organizations of various scales as a marketable product. In previous work we have developed a system that facilitated the formal description of knowledge possessed by an organization, so that external entities could search in it and request it. In this chapter we extend on that work in a couple of ways: i) we develop a mediator system enabling the search to concurrently consider multiple possible sources of information and ii) we allow for the query to posed on a more natural way by expressing the information needs of the requestor rather than by describing the information items that may satisfy these needs. Such a system opens the way for fully automated problem based online information brokering, which is expected to be the next trend in the knowledge market.

Interorganizational knowledge networks and knowledge marketplaces have emerged to enable organizations to share or commercially exploit their knowledge outside narrow organizational borders. The materialization of these structures requires concrete and sound mechanisms for the efficient external provision of knowledge stored in knowledge repositories within the organization. In our approach, we employ semantic Web services as a vehicle for publishing knowledge repositories. We propose “knowledge provision services” as a means for efficient retrieval and composition of knowledge objects from knowledge repositories of various organizational contexts regardless of the environment within which they are delivered. In this direction, we have extended OWL-S with a knowledge object ontology, which represents knowledge objects in a generic, application-neutral way, and we have developed an infrastructure for the publication, discovery, composition, and delivery of Knowledge Provision Services founded on the Web services architecture. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Int Syst 22: 501–518, 2007.

Although companies are increasingly developing complex networks of connections with their partners and customers and shifting their focus towards expanding the knowledge management concept externally, research addressing the management of knowledge across organizational borders is rather sparse. Our aim in the present paper is to develop a typology of cross-organizational networks of information and knowledge flows. In order to arrive at such a typology we examine two issues. The first concerns the locus of control on the processes that enable knowledge flow. The second refers to the tradability of the streams of knowledge that flow among organizational entities. We examine four types of knowledge networks: “knowledge communities”, “knowledge chains”, “knowledge supplies” and “knowledge markets”. For each type of knowledge network, we examine its distinct characteristics, study related examples, consider the associated research challenges and analyze an indicative case.

Inter-organizational knowledge networks and knowledge marketplaces have emerged in order to enable organizations to share or commercially exploit their knowledge outside narrow organizational borders. The materialization of these structures requires concrete and sound mechanisms for the efficient external provision of knowledge stored in knowledge repositories and for the conclusion of agreements among parties that will specify the terms and conditions of knowledge transactions. In our approach, we propose 'Knowledge Services' and k-UDDI,enhanced by reference ontologies we have developed, as a means to enable the publication, discovery, negotiation and invocation of web services that carry knowledge objects from knowledge repositories of various organizational contexts regardless of the environment within which they are delivered.

Inter-organizational knowledge exchanges have recently emerged to enable organizations to share or even commercially exploit their knowledge outside organizational borders. The implementation of such exchanges requires mechanisms for efficiently providing external access to knowledge that is internally stored within an organization. In this paper, we propose ‘Knowledge Provision Services’ as a means for efficient discovery, retrieval and composition of knowledge from organizational repositories. We adopt a Knowledge Object (KO) ontology, i.e. a declarative specification of the knowledge representation schema which describes the content and context facets of knowledge objects and extend the OWL-S web service ontology with the KO ontology. In addition, we develop a web service-based infrastructure for the publication, discovery, composition and delivery of Knowledge Provision Services. Specifically, we replace UDDI by a knowledge provision service registry that supports richer and more appropriate semantics and develop a composition service which receives requests in the form of user-defined templates, generates the appropriate queries and applies a similarity algorithm for bundling the appropriate query results.

An increasing number of enterprises are getting interested in exploiting their knowledge assets outside the organizational borders and in augmenting their knowledge network. A first generation of electronic knowledge marketplaces has been developed in order to provide the platforms for knowledge exchange and trading at inter‐organizational level. This paper develops a framework to evaluate the strategic issues, business models, roles, processes, and revenue models of knowledge trading platforms, and provides a detailed analysis of five existing knowledge marketplaces based on this framework. Finally, a set of conclusions is drawn on what issues should be addressed in a knowledge marketplace in order to eliminate the risks and gain the trust of its targeted customers.

This paper addresses the area that is at the intersection of Knowledge Management and Electronic Commerce. This area refers to the exchange and trade of explicit and implicit knowledge at an inter-organisational level. Electronic knowledge marketplaces are currently emerging to address the opportunities and risks found in the purchase and selling of knowledge at the business-to-business (B2B) environment, the need for supporting long-lasting relationships of knowledge exchange and the requirement for facilitating virtual community contexts where knowledge seekers can find suitable knowledge providers and knowledge providers can advertise and sell their available knowledge. The paper describes the business challenges associated with the design of Internet-based knowledge marketplace. INKASS, a European IST project, has stimulated this work and has provided real-life verification on the arguments raised and on the positions adopted herein.

An increasing number of enterprises are getting interested in exploiting knowledge, tacit or explicit, lying outside their organizational borders and augmenting the knowledge network of their organizations. A first generation of knowledge e-marketplaces has arisen to provide the platforms for knowledge exchange and trading in an inter-organizational level. This paper develops a framework to evaluate the business models, roles, processes, and revenue models of knowledge trading platforms and provides a survey of six existing knowledge marketplaces based on this framework. Finally, a set of conclusions is drawn on what issues should be addressed in a knowledge marketplace in order to eliminate the risks and gain the trust of its targeted customers.

The iWebCare project (EC Fund: FP6-2004-IST-4-028055) aims at designing and developing a flexible fraud detection web services platform, which will be able to serve e-government processes of fraud detection and prevention, in order to ensure quality and accuracy and minimize loss of health care funds. The approach the project adopts involves the introduction of a fraud detection methodology combining business process modelling and knowledge engineering as well as the development of an integrated fraud detection platform combining an ontology-based rule engine and a self-learning module based on data mining offered together as an advanced and flexible web-based fraud detection service. iWebCare promotes interoperability in two ways; through its generic and extendible ontological framework that can be adapted to virtually any e-government process which needs to be examined for fraud and through its technical architecture which is based on web services and facilitates the cooperation with other existing e- government systems. The users of the iWebCare platform, who in the course of the project will be authorised actors involved in the heath care business, will be able to access the iWebCare services via the Internet. They will be able to detect erroneous or suspicious records in submitted health care data sets, ensuring homogeneity and consistency and promoting awareness and harmonization of fraud detection practices among health care systems in the EU.

Kostas Kafentzis (kkafe@ softlab.ntua.gr) is a Researcher, Gregoris Mentzas (gmentzas@ softlab.ntua.gr) is a Professor, Panos Georgolios (pgeorgol@ softlab.ntua.gr) is a Researcher, Abstract An increasing number of enterprises are getting interested in exploiting their knowledge assets outside the organizational borders and in augmenting their knowledge network. A rst generation of electronic knowledge marketplaces has been developed in order to provide the platforms for knowledge exchange and trading at inter-organizational level. This paper develops a framework to evaluate the strategic issues, business models, roles, processes, and revenue models of knowledge trading platforms, and provides a detailed analysis of ve existing knowledge marketplaces based on this framework. Finally, a set of conclusions is drawn on what issues should be addressed in a knowledge marketplace in order to eliminate the risks and gain the trust of its targeted customers.