MW - one request for clarification: (01)
[MW] >
> MW: I'm afraid I do not agree with Pat C at all. I have spent much of
> my life doing business analaysis for systems design, and reviewing
> data models produced by others. I am always surprised at just how
> different (and usually limited) peoples mental models are. I have yet
> to see two data models of the same application look the same except by
> cut and paste.
> (02)
I am well aware that models created in isolation from each other will vary
widely. That is a restatement of the problem. The hypothesis of the
'Conceptual Defining Vocabulary' states that it will be possible to solve
that problem with a common ontology of agreed basic concepts that are used
to specify the meanings of the more specialized concepts in the different
models. (03)
** The relevant question is, when a group of people who are determined to
find a common model of *basic* concepts get together, what kinds of issues
remain that cannot be resolved by sincere efforts to find ways to
accommodate the needs of all of them? ** (04)
I am very interested in finding out just what kinds of residual problems
there really are. Thus far the examples I have seen all resolve to a
terminology clash - two different people want to use the same term to refer
to concepts of different meaning. We know how to resolve terminology
clashes - use different names or different namespaces for the different
concepts. If it is important to relate those concepts to each other, that
takes a bit of work to analyze the reasons for the differences and find the
relations between the two different representations. (05)
If there is a case where an effort of that kind could not arrive at
agreement on how to include or reconcile some seemingly logically
incompatible representations, I would very much like to learn what those
problems are, in detail. (06)
Pat (07)
Patrick Cassidy
MICRA, Inc.
908-561-3416
cell: 908-565-4053
cassidy@xxxxxxxxx (08)
> -----Original Message-----
> From: ontolog-forum-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ontolog-forum-
> bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of matthew.west@xxxxxxxxx
> Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2008 6:41 AM
> To: ontolog-forum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: [ontolog-forum] Ontology similarity and accurate
> communication
>
> Dear John and Pat H.,
>
> > >In other words, all the axioms are at the task level, and each
> > >message sent between systems identifies what ontology is assumed.
> >
> > I agree that makes a certain sense, but Im less sanguine than you are
> > about being able to neatly express relationships between ontologies.
> > Not that such relations are impossible, but I think they will will be
> > messier and more tangled, as Mala says in her recent message. Which
> > is not necessarily a problem or something to avoid, just something we
> > should be ready for.
>
> MW: I agree with Pat here, that just encouraging an unlimited number of
> ontologies and saying we will map between them, is perhaps where we are
> headed at the moment, but it is an expensive direction to take. My best
> hope at the moment is to encourage convergence onto a limited number
> of ontologies - say 10 or so. They would have clearly stated
> foundations
> where the differences would be known and understood, and mappings could
> be provided. I think several is good, because that provides a market,
> which will help to drive improvement. It might also be that some die,
> and others are born.
>
> MW: I'm afraid I do not agree with Pat C at all. I have spent much of
> my life doing business analaysis for systems design, and reviewing
> data models produced by others. I am always surprised at just how
> different (and usually limited) peoples mental models are. I have yet
> to see two data models of the same application look the same except by
> cut and paste.
>
> Regards
>
> Matthew West
> Reference Data Architecture and Standards Manager
> Shell International Petroleum Company Limited
> Registered in England and Wales
> Registered number: 621148
> Registered office: Shell Centre, London SE1 7NA, United Kingdom
>
> Tel: +44 20 7934 4490 Mobile: +44 7796 336538
> Email: matthew.west@xxxxxxxxx
> http://www.shell.com
> http://www.matthew-west.org.uk/
>
>
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