    # KEHOME/knowledge/applications/SemanticWeb/TAP/WhyUseTAP.html
    # Aug/12/2003

## Why use the Stanford TAP KB?

###

Paraphrasing the Stanford TAP KB philosophy :

- the KB contains a little bit of knowledge
  about many popular things;
- the KB complements systems such as Cyc which have
  a lot of common-sense knowledge about many everyday things;
- the KB complements "Upper Ontology" systems which have
  a lot of knowledge about a few abstract things.

In practical terms, this means that:

- The KB can provide answers to a lot of simple questions.
  For example:
  - Who plays for the Boston Celtics?
  - Where is Carleton College?
- When the KB doesn't have the answers, it may provide details
  (for example: amazonMap, dmozMap, ebayMap, looksmartMap)
  which facilitate finding the answer with systems such as
  Google, Amazon.com, TicketMaster, etc.
  For example:
  - Who is the CEO of Microsoft?
  - What is the average cost of a meal at Sardi's?
  - Where can I get Panofsky and Phillips' textbook?
  - When does Los Angeles play Sacramento?
- The KB will not be able to answer questions which require
  common-sense reasoning; OpenCyc will have to be used.
  For example:
  - How do I get from my house to the airport?
  - Why did the chicken cross the road?

Now let's find answers to the above questions
using MKE, TAP, Google, Amazon and OpenCyc.

- Who plays for the Boston Celtics?
- Where is Carleton College?

- Who is the CEO of Microsoft?
- What is the average cost of a meal at Sardi's?
- Where can I get Panofsky and Phillips' textbook?
- When does Los Angeles play Sacramento?

- How do I get from my house to the airport?
- Why did the chicken cross the road?