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Re: [ontology-summit] [Quality] What means "open" in "Open Ontology Repo

To: "'Ontology Summit 2008'" <ontology-summit@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
From: "Patrick Cassidy" <pat@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 19 Mar 2008 03:21:05 -0400
Message-id: <09dd01c88991$cba3ec00$62ebc400$@com>
Barry,
   I agree strongly with one of the criteria that your cited paper presents:
that "easy to understand' words should be used, where possible.  This fits
with my suggestion for using defining vocabularies that are grounded in the
basic defining vocabulary (derived from the Longman defining vocabulary).
The virtue of this approach is, that by ultimately grounding all words used
in definitions in the 2000 (root) words of the Longman's, one has a path
toward automatic interpretation of those definitions, which will be much
easier to implement than one which allows unrestricted words in the
definitions.
   Words can be used that are not in the basic 2000, provided that they are
themselves defined by the basic 2000 words.  There is a set of files with a
simple utility to test whether a proposed definition uses only words
grounded in the basic 2000 words:
  The vocabularies and utility are in the directory:
     http://micra.com/COSMO/DefiningVocabulary/    (01)

   Pat    (02)

Patrick Cassidy
MICRA, Inc.
908-561-3416
cell: 908-565-4053
cassidy@xxxxxxxxx    (03)


> -----Original Message-----
> From: ontology-summit-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ontology-summit-
> bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Barry Smith
> Sent: Tuesday, March 18, 2008 4:42 PM
> To: Ontology Summit 2008; 'Ontology Summit 2008'
> Subject: Re: [ontology-summit] [Quality] What means "open" in "Open
> Ontology Repository"
> 
> I tend to agree that we should modify ii. It is generally better that
> ontologies are built by small terms (including single-member teams).
> But then generally, I think, maintence should allow a more open
> process.
> 
> We tried to define a metric for intelligibility of ontology elements
> here:
> http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2105/7/212
> I think 'transparent' in iii. is intended to mean: the ontology
> development process is publicly documented e.g. by being carried out
> through use of email fora which are web-accessible to all. This is
> the policy maintained for example by the OBO Foundry
> (http://obofoundry.org).
> BS
> 
> 
> At 01:22 AM 3/18/2008, Patrick Cassidy wrote:
> >Content-Type: multipart/alternative;
> >         boundary="----=_NextPart_000_085A_01C88896.82D7C5B0"
> >Content-Language: en-us
> >
> >Just to add: I would also object to ii, because it would exclude
> >locally developed ontologies that are precisely aligned with some
> >foundation ontology maintained in the OOR and therefore highly
> >reusable and integratable with others.
> >
> >I'm not sure what 'transparent' in iii. means.  I would include as a
> >metric of an ontology how well documented it is.  As a crude first
> >approximation, the average number of words in the comment field of
> >each ontology element might be calculated, to give potential users a
> >guess as to how difficult it will be to guess the intended meanings
> >of the ontology elements.  The more documentation, the better.  Of
> >course, better organized documentation is also better, but harder to
> >find a metric for.
> >
> >Pat
> >
> >Patrick Cassidy
> >MICRA, Inc.
> >908-561-3416
> >cell: 908-565-4053
> >cassidy@xxxxxxxxx
> >
> >From: ontology-summit-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> >[mailto:ontology-summit-bounces@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Aldo
> Gangemi
> >Sent: Monday, March 17, 2008 9:20 PM
> >To: Ontology Summit 2008
> >Subject: Re: [ontology-summit] [Quality] What means "open" in "Open
> >Ontology Repository"
> >
> >
> >Il giorno 17/mar/08, alle ore 19:43, Pat Hayes ha scritto:
> >
> >
> >At 1:19 PM -0400 3/17/08, Fabian Neuhaus wrote:
> >Okay, let me try to summarize. Everybody, please let me know  if  I
> >misrepresented  your position.
> >We are discussing the scope of the OOR, thus the minimal requirements
> an
> >ontology has to meet.
> >Peter Yim and Ravi Sharma  suggest the following:
> >(i) the ontology is based on open standards AND
> >(ii) an ontology that is created and maintained in a cooperative
> process
> >that is, in principle, open to everybody who wants to participate AND
> >(iii) an ontology that is created and maintained in a transparent
> >process AND
> >(iv) the ontology is accessible to all who can be identified or
> >authenticated (at least Read only) AND
> >(v) the ontology is available under a license that includes virtually
> no
> >restrictions on the use and distribution of the ontology.
> >[I assume that a standard is considered to be "open" if and only if it
> >meets analogs of criteria (ii)-(v), FN]
> >Matthew West objects to (v).
> >Pat Hayes objects to (ii) and (iii).
> >
> >
> >For clarification, I don't object to (ii) and (iii), but I do think
> >that these should not be required. Insisting on any conditions on
> >the process that gave rise to the ontology adds a considerable
> >burden both to the cost of creating an ontology and to the task of
> >checking its credentials, and is completely irrelevant to the users
> >of the ontology. Very few, if any, extant published ontologies fully
> >meet conditions (ii) and (iii) above. Ontologies are not standards:
> >they are more analogous to pieces of software. No software has ever
> >been created by a process satisfying condition (ii).
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >I agree: why should the effort of a lone wolf be kept out? :)
> >BTW, consider that there is no real lone wolf in the ontology
> >wilderness: all of us are actually working on the basis of previous
> >work, which is a (weak?) form of collaboration. What is otherwise
> >scientific literature for?
> >
> >Aldo
> >
> >
> >_____________________________________
> >
> >Aldo Gangemi
> >
> >Senior Researcher
> >Laboratory for Applied Ontology
> >Institute for Cognitive Sciences and Technology
> >National Research Council (ISTC-CNR)
> >Via Nomentana 56, 00161, Roma, Italy
> >Tel: +390644161535
> >Fax: +390644161513
> ><mailto:aldo.gangemi@xxxxxxxxxxx>aldo.gangemi@xxxxxxxxxxx
> >
> >http://www.loa-cnr.it/gangemi.html
> >
> >icq# 108370336
> >
> >skype aldogangemi
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >_________________________________________________________________
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