On Feb 1, 2011, at 9:22 AM, John F. Sowa wrote: (01)
> On 2/1/2011 8:52 AM, Ron Wheeler wrote:
>> An organization will have to deal with and mediate many different
>> ontologies - industry standards, military specs, banks, different
>> government departments from different national and local governments,
>> insurance, payroll companies, etc. not to mention different departments
>> within the organization.
>
> Yes. There are many kinds of information for which precise definitions
> are not only impossible to achieve, they can create even more chaos.
>
> For example, consider the term 'date'. In the olden days, one would
> simply look at the calendar and note the date, say a baby's date
> of birth.
>
> That date will appear on the individual's passport, driver's license,
> and other records for life. But the date is based on the local time
> at the hospital. Does it matter whether the person moves to another
> country? What if he or she goes on vacation to celebrate, and because
> of a switch in time zone happens to have a birthday party on the
> "wrong" date? Does it matter?
>
> There are many zealots who want to assign unique URIs to precise
> definitions of every possible word sense.
>
> But does anyone expect the people who enter data to look at those
> precise definitions, try to understand them, determine exactly
> which one is applicable to the current question on a data form,
> and mark it correctly?
>
> Anybody who expects those precise definitions to be applicable
> to the actual data they process is asking for grief. (02)
Agree. And to rub some salt in, a piece of information which is completely
unambiguous and fully understood when it is created can *become* ambiguous and
in need of clarification later, by virtue of new distinctions being created or
discovered, or simply imposed by some ontological fiat. A better survey can
re-define the edges of a real property. A scientific discovery can reveal that
a single element is actually a mixture of isotopes. When the organization
adopts OBO, suddenly you have to decide if your favorite Auntie is a continuant
or an occurrent. To seek to get final, absolute clarity is a sisyphean
enterprise. (03)
Pat (04)
>
> John
>
> _________________________________________________________________
> Msg Archives: http://ontolog.cim3.net/forum/ontology-summit/
> Subscribe/Config: http://ontolog.cim3.net/mailman/listinfo/ontology-summit/
> Unsubscribe: mailto:ontology-summit-leave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Community Files: http://ontolog.cim3.net/file/work/OntologySummit2011/
> Community Wiki: http://ontolog.cim3.net/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?OntologySummit2011
> Community Portal: http://ontolog.cim3.net/wiki/
> (05)
------------------------------------------------------------
IHMC (850)434 8903 or (650)494 3973
40 South Alcaniz St. (850)202 4416 office
Pensacola (850)202 4440 fax
FL 32502 (850)291 0667 mobile
phayesAT-SIGNihmc.us http://www.ihmc.us/users/phayes (06)
_________________________________________________________________
Msg Archives: http://ontolog.cim3.net/forum/ontology-summit/
Subscribe/Config: http://ontolog.cim3.net/mailman/listinfo/ontology-summit/
Unsubscribe: mailto:ontology-summit-leave@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Community Files: http://ontolog.cim3.net/file/work/OntologySummit2011/
Community Wiki: http://ontolog.cim3.net/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?OntologySummit2011
Community Portal: http://ontolog.cim3.net/wiki/ (07)
|