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Re: [ontology-summit] Ontology Framework DraftStatementfortheOntology Su

To: <ontology-summit@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
From: <matthew.west@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 21 Apr 2007 09:32:11 +0100
Message-id: <808637A57BC3454FA660801A3995FA8F04EC03B8@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Dear Mike,    (01)


> 
> Which statements do you disagree with and why?    (02)

I think my main objection (and it is not major) is this:    (03)

Ph:     Subject area extremely general  vs. 
IT:     Focused on a specific domain (usually);     (04)

Where I come from if there are any exceptions, then the statement
just is not true, not that it is sometimes the case.
> 
> I want this to be uncontentious, agreed on by most or all, just
> reflecting historical facts of the matter.    (05)

But this is certainly not my main objection, which is the one
I made below, that what you have is a single process, and when
high quality ontologies are produced, there will be a philosophical
stage to the development.    (06)

The kind of analogy I would like to draw is one with the ordinary
development of information systems. There are usually several
stages. You have (roughly)    (07)

 - Scoping, done mostly by business and IT architects.
 - Analysis, done by subject matter experts and business analysts
 - Design, done by IT specialists (E.g. DBAs) supported by business analysts
 - implementation ...    (08)

Now I see saying that philosophers are doing something different from
IT ontologists like saying business analysts are doing something
different from IT specialists. It just doesn't make sense in a well
ordered project.    (09)

Now I will agree that historically that many projects have been run
without the use of business analysts, with DBAs or programers just
leaping in and coding stuff, but do we really think that is good practice?    (010)

The same is true with ontology development. Good ontology development
will have a philosophical input at the analysis level of development
(they have if you like a business analyst role). Ontologies can be 
developed without philosophical input, just as information systems
can be built without business analysts, but I would not wish to promote
or do anything other than oppose either idea.    (011)


Regards    (012)

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    (013)

Tel: +44 20 7934 4490 Mobile: +44 7796 336538
Email: matthew.west@xxxxxxxxx
http://www.shell.com
http://www.matthew-west.org.uk/    (014)

> 
> Mike
>  
> 
> 
> ==========================
> Michael Uschold
> M&CT, Phantom Works 
> 425 373-2845
> michael.f.uschold@xxxxxxxxxx  
> ==========================
> 
> ----------------------------------------------------
> COOL TIP: to skip the phone menu tree and get a human on the phone, go
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> 
> 
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: matthew.west@xxxxxxxxx [mailto:matthew.west@xxxxxxxxx] 
> Sent: Friday, April 20, 2007 12:11 PM
> To: ontology-summit@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: Re: [ontology-summit] Ontology Framework Draft
> StatementfortheOntology Summit
> 
> Dear Mike,
> 
> > 
> > Here are a few slides summing up the difference between ontology in 
> > philosophy vs.. Computer science. I ran it by a philosopher 
> who should
> > know: Chris Menzel.
> > 
> > There are a number of similarities and differences, and it 
> is not just
> 
> > the intended purpose, though that is a very important difference.
> 
> I don't disagree with (most of) the statements but I could 
> use the same
> slides to show one continuous process that starts from philosophical
> ontology and ends with a computational system. Which by the 
> way is how I
> see things.
> 
> 
> 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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