The Blackboard Architecture for System Design

Terry Bahill
Systems and Industrial Engineering
University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ 85721-0020, USA
terry@sie.arizona.edu
http://www.sie.arizona.edu/eysengr/slides/blackboard.ppt
© 1998-2004 Bahill

Choosing an architecture for a complex system should be a deliberate task. However, an architecture is often determined by default and no alternatives are analyzed. This lecture explains the Blackboard Architecture and shows that it is powerful because it matches natural human organizational inclinations. Currently object-oriented architectures are in vogue, however it is suggested that the Blackboard Architecture may be superior for many designs.

The key points about the Blackboard Architecture are (1) multiple cooperating sources, (2) multiple competing hypotheses, (3) multiple levels of abstraction, and (4) feedback to the sources.

This lecture is suitable for engineers. This lecture requires an overhead projector (or PowerPoint and a computer projection system) and a VHS videotape player. This lecture takes two hours, but it can easily be split into two independent sessions.