Knowledge Technology
An Avatar.Global Resource
Knowledge Technology
Knowledge Technology "is the technology that converts data into information and information into knowledge to create innovative and valuable ideas."[1] Knowledge Technology refers to the specific digital, computational, and methodological tools, platforms, and infrastructures used to create, organize, disseminate, and evolve a Knowledge System. Knowledge Technologies organize Knowledge Tools into concrete, accessible, open and (most importantly) scalable implementations. The SpiritWiki is a knowledge technology. Mediawiki and Semantic MediaWiki software are knowledge tools us to realize this technology.
Concept Map
Key Terms
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Syncretic Terms
Related LP Terms
Non-LP Related Terms
Notes
Information Technology is the hardware (computers, network interfaces) and software) that coverts data into information.[2] Information technology (a computer) converts the binary data that comprises the text of this page into readable information.
Knowledge Technology is "technology that converts information into knowledge, and accumulates, manages, and utilizes is."[3] The MediaWiki software and associated Semanticconverts the information contained in this page into a form that allows for the creation and presentation of knowledge. The creation and presentation of knowledge allows for the creation and validation of ideas.
While a Knowledge System defines the architectural principles for organizing and validating information, Knowledge Technology comprises the actual tools and infrastructures that instantiate those principles. Knowledge Technology makes the abstract architecture concrete and operational.
The Evolution of Knowledge Technology
The evolution of knowledge technology traces a curve that remained nearly flat for millennia before shooting upward almost vertically in the last thirty years. From the clay tablets of Sumer and the papyrus scrolls of Alexandria to the illuminated manuscripts of medieval scriptoria, the storage and transmission of knowledge remained tethered to physical substrates and manual reproduction for roughly five thousand years. The invention of the printing press in the fifteenth century accelerated dissemination, yet knowledge systems remained fundamentally static—organized through physical libraries, card catalogs, and print encyclopedias that required decades to compile and could not be updated without entirely new editions. For most of human history, knowledge technology meant technologies of preservation against loss rather than tools for rapid creation or collaboration.
The twentieth century introduced mechanical aids—microfilm, early databases, and mainframe computing—that began to uncouple knowledge from physical space, but these remained institutional tools accessible only to specialists. The real inflection point arrived with the public internet of the 1990s, when Knowledge Tools democratized from cathedral to bazaar: suddenly, email, listservs, and early websites allowed distributed communities to share information instantaneously. The subsequent development of wiki software in the early 2000s, followed by semantic web technologies and collaborative platforms like GitHub, transformed knowledge systems from static repositories into living, evolving architectures.
What strikes us now is the compression of this timeline. We moved from oral tradition to manuscript culture over millennia, from manuscripts to print over centuries, from print to digital databases over decades, and from the first websites to generative AI—a technology that can synthesize, summarize, and generate knowledge claims—in roughly a single generation. The tools available to a contemporary researcher in 2025—large language models, semantic search, real-time collaborative editing, and globally distributed version control—represent a greater functional leap from the tools of 2005 than those 2005 tools represented from the Library of Alexandria. This acceleration suggests we have transitioned from an era of knowledge scarcity to one of knowledge abundance, where the critical challenge is no longer preservation or access, but curation, validation, and the epistemic infrastructure required to prevent confusion in an environment of overwhelming informational velocity and intentional seeding of disinformation.
Key Elements
Element: Foundational Platforms
- MediaWiki core software providing collaborative editing and version control
- Semantic MediaWiki extensions enabling dynamic semantic linking and structured queries
- GitHub repositories for code, documentation, and distributed development
Element: Computational Intelligence
- AI/ML systems for content generation, analysis, and synthesis (e.g, Pathfinder AI)
- Natural language processing for semantic analysis and relationship mapping
- Automated quality assurance and consistency checking
Element: Network Infrastructure
- Web servers, databases, and cloud architecture ensuring accessibility and scalability
- CDN and caching systems for planetary-scale distribution
- API endpoints enabling machine-readable access and symbiotic interaction
Element: Human Interface Systems
- Visual editors and templates standardizing content creation
- Navigation systems (concept maps, category structures, search functionalities)
- Accessibility features ensuring inclusive access across diverse human capabilities
Element: Governance & Integrity Systems
- Editorial workflows and verification processes
- Ethical constraints and alignment mechanisms
- Transparency systems (edit histories, attribution, citation requirements)
Citation and Legal
The SpiritWiki is a freely available, open-access Knowledge System devoted to health, healing, and reconnection. You may freely use information in the SpiritWiki; citation and attribution are welcomed, but not required. You can help this knowledge system grow by joining its Patreon.
The SpiritWiki is marked CC0 1.0 Universal and in the public domain, free for everyone on the planet to use. Please support its growth.
Footnotes
- ↑ Nakamori, Yoshiteru. Knowledge Technology: Converting Data and Information into Valuable Ideas. Springer, 2021.
- ↑ Nakamori, Yoshiteru. Knowledge Technology: Converting Data and Information into Valuable Ideas. Springer, 2021.
- ↑ Nakamori, Yoshiteru. Knowledge Technology: Converting Data and Information into Valuable Ideas. Springer, 2021.