ontolog-forum
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: [ontolog-forum] vague wish lists VS formal specifications

To: "[ontolog-forum]" <ontolog-forum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
From: "Deborah MacPherson" <debmacp@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2007 12:15:23 -0500
Message-id: <48f213f30702270915t426f5216if30d3f74fc303af5@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Hi Jeffrey -    (01)

The issue is most untrained customers don't know where to start. Their
thinking needs to be somewhat directed or at least outlined by a menu
of choices, demostrations of available features, examples of worst and
best case scenarios from similar scope projects etc. The untrained
customer only knows their own project and their own area of expertise.    (02)

In other words, the cultural assumptions of a museum director, versus
a chemistry lab, versus an ontology engineer are different. It is my
opinion that as the only one who potentially understands the WHOLE
situation, the ontology engineer needs to lead the way - by coloring
everyones thinking on purpose. Which raises the next question, in what
format? How can this task be addressed in a systematic way to begin
every collaboration? Which baselines need to be established every
time?    (03)

Debbie    (04)

On 2/23/07, Schiffel, Jeffrey A <jeffrey.a.schiffel@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>
> [from Deborah McPherson]:
> > With a checklist to follow, untrained customers will be better
> > prepared and able to state what their needs are and organize their
> > resources to provide ontology engineers, programmers, and formal
> > specification writers with what THEY need to get the data to flow in
> > potentially customized, atypical manners.
>
> [from Pat Hayes]:
> > For the record, our KE mavens (I am not one of them) tell me that one
> of
> > most efficient such analysis techniques involves collaborative
> > construction of a concept map, which is one reason we have developed
> > so much software around this apparently trivial notion.
>
> Pat and Deborah,
>
> My group's experience in uncovering project requirements is the same as
> Pat's KE mavens - simple concept maps are a fine, collaborative way to
> get at underlying concepts. User training is easy, development fast, and
> the results are easy to read and understand. They create a basis for
> jumping off into any degree of formalism appropriate for the next steps
> of the project.
>
> Deborah wishes users to think through a checklist in advance of the
> first collaboraton meeting. This has benefits, but perhaps also a hidden
> booby trap. A checklist can guide thinking along pre-determined lines
> (i.e., the concepts underlying the checklist). This can be at odds with
> the need for collaborative exchange. In other words, the
> ontologist/analyst group's culture may inadvertantly color the user
> group' cultural assumptions. This, however, can be mitigated.
>
> Regards,
> --------------------------------------------------------
> Jeffrey Schiffel
> The Boeing Company - IDS Wichita
> System of Systems Engineering
> --------------------------------------------------------
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
> IHMC            (850)434 8903 or (650)494 3973   home
> 40 South Alcaniz St.    (850)202 4416   office
> Pensacola                       (850)202 4440   fax
> FL 32502                        (850)291 0667    cell
> phayesAT-SIGNihmc.us       http://www.ihmc.us/users/phayes
>
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> Message Archives: http://ontolog.cim3.net/forum/ontolog-forum/
> Subscribe/Config:
> http://ontolog.cim3.net/mailman/listinfo/ontolog-forum/
> Unsubscribe: mailto:ontolog-forum-leave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Shared Files: http://ontolog.cim3.net/file/ Community Wiki:
> http://ontolog.cim3.net/wiki/ To Post:
> mailto:ontolog-forum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> Message Archives: http://ontolog.cim3.net/forum/ontolog-forum/
> Subscribe/Config: http://ontolog.cim3.net/mailman/listinfo/ontolog-forum/
> Unsubscribe: mailto:ontolog-forum-leave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Shared Files: http://ontolog.cim3.net/file/
> Community Wiki: http://ontolog.cim3.net/wiki/
> To Post: mailto:ontolog-forum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
>    (05)


--     (06)

*************************************************    (07)

Deborah MacPherson
www.accuracyandaesthetics.com
www.deborahmacpherson.com    (08)

The content of this email may contain private
confidential information. Do not forward, copy,
share, or otherwise distribute without explicit
written permission from all correspondents.    (09)

**************************************************    (010)

_________________________________________________________________
Message Archives: http://ontolog.cim3.net/forum/ontolog-forum/  
Subscribe/Config: http://ontolog.cim3.net/mailman/listinfo/ontolog-forum/  
Unsubscribe: mailto:ontolog-forum-leave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Shared Files: http://ontolog.cim3.net/file/
Community Wiki: http://ontolog.cim3.net/wiki/ 
To Post: mailto:ontolog-forum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx    (011)

<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>