Our sample knowledge bases (KBs)
Our eight “sandbox” knowledge bases, linked below, have the following characteristics:
- Simple and small, which is best for prototyping purposes
- Multimodal, which allows us to challenge the technical capabilities of various models
- Contain information (e.g. grocery shopping, community and family facts and history) generally understood by almost any target audience
- Contain specific information that is already known to (and likely written by) us, so we can better formulate prompts and queries to the model (both system and real-time) and understand its responses
KB #1: “Shopping for groceries”
Facts, features
- Structured document in DITA/xml
- Super-small project size (7 topics that include concept, task, reference material)
- Relationship table
Sample content
“Groceries” (WebHelp Responsive)
KB #2: “Cleaning the garage”
Facts, features
- Structured document in DITA/xml
- Small project size (20 topics)
- Two ditamaps
- Filtering using a ditaval file
Sample content
KB #3: “DITAinformationcenter”
Facts, features
- DITA-based structured information project of moderate complexity containing approximately 350 source files
- “Ground-truth” information about DITA from 2006-2011
- Contains outdated content and broken links, but still serves as a portfolio item
Sample content
KB #4: “Computer history”
Facts, features
- The KB consists of multiple documents all published to PDF format.
- Key item in the collection is Dick’s DITA/xml-based “My High-Tech Adventure” about his career in computing.
- Other items include PDFs of posts we wrote about our experiences volunteering in the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, California.
Sample content
KB #5: “Astronomy images”
Facts, features
- Collaborative project (human/AI)
- Created in DITA/xml and published to WebHelp Responsive
- Images displayed by category (e.g., galaxy, nebula, planet) and with each image is a short description
- Indexed to help people find particular images
Sample content
“Astronomy” (WebHelp Responsive)
KB #6: “Community information project” (El Dorado Hills, California)
Facts, features
- Written in structured DITA/xml; published to WebHelp Responsive
- Collaborative project (human/AI)
- How to upgrade out-of-date information with the help of AI assistants and agents
- How to maintain rapidly changing information and prepare for future automation
- Includes a style guide and glossary
- Model for similar group/community projects
Sample content
“EDH community info” (WebHelp Responsive) (alpha level, Sep 2025)
“EDH Handbook” (PDF) (2003)
Knowledge bases #7 and #8: Family history, genealogy
Facts, features
These two multimodal knowledge bases contain “ground-truth” information about ourselves and our ancestors; for example:
- Typical genealogical facts, charts and diagrams from family trees
- Photocopies of original records and record indexes
- Family history books, papers and posts
- Photographs of individuals and events
Current projects
We’re doing collaborative (human/AI) projects to turn our largely static knowledge bases into a “clickable” WebHelp Responsive website.
