Distributed knowledge
Distributed knowledge is a term used in multi-agent system research that refers to all the knowledge that a community of agents possesses and might apply in solving a problem. Distributed knowledge is approximately what "a wise man knows" or what someone who has complete knowledge of what each member of the communities knows. Distributed knowledge might also be called the aggregate knowledge of a community, as it represents all the knowledge that a community might bring to bear to solve a problem.
In contrast, common knowledge of a community is what everyone in the community knows. Distributed knowledge is often confused with the term dispersed knowledge from economics. However, dispersed knowledge is information that is widely available, and hence more like common knowledge.
Distributed knowledge is related to the concept The Wisdom of the Crowds.
References
- R. Fagin, J. Y. Halpern, Y. Moses, and M. Y. Vardi. Reasoning about Knowledge, The MIT Press, 1995. ISBN 0-262-56200-6