EarthScienceOntolog: Panel Session-03 - Thu 2012-10-11    (3E5U)

Mini-Series Theme: An Earth Science Ontology Dialog ("EarthScienceOntolog")    (3E5V)

Session Topic: Heterogeneity-preserving Data Interoperability: Methods and Challenges    (3E5W)

Session Co-chairs: Professor KrzysztofJanowicz (UC Santa Barbara) and Professor PascalHitzler (Wright State University) - intro slides    (3EWN)

Panelists / Briefings:    (3EWO)

Archives:    (3EWP)

Abstract:    (3FLS)

Heterogeneity-preserving Data Interoperability: Methods and Challenges - intro slides    (3FLT)

This is the 3rd session of the Joint EarthCube-Ontolog Mini-series on "Ontology and Semantic Technology for the Earth Science Community" - a series of panel sessions dubbed: "EarthScienceOntolog" - an Earth Science Ontology Dialog.    (3FLU)

This mini-series of events are co-organized/supported by members of the EarthCube community, Ontolog community, SOCoP community, IAOA community.    (3FLV)

The Earth Science Ontolog mini-series is designed to explore the current status and application of multi-level ontologies towards developing a semantically enabled cyberinfrastructure for the Earth Science Community. In addition, one key mission of the mini-series is to bring together members of both communities (Earth Science and ontology/semantics) into a meaningful dialog. We anticipate that the sharing of requirements and use cases, geo-science problems and issues, ontological engineering architectures and approaches, and prospective tools, will enable collaborative understanding of the challenges and potential value in the application of ontology and semantics in Earth Science.    (3FLW)

Session abstract: Data integration and data-model intercomparison are very work intensive tasks that require the semi-automatic or manual retrieval and interpretation of metadata. In interdisciplinary settings and data-intensive science, such a manual approach is not feasible anymore. Instead machines should support scientists in retrieving data and models and analyzing whether they are fit for a certain purpose. This requires semantic annotations and ontologies that reflect the conceptualizations underlying the shared data and models. Research on semantic interoperability is concerned with using such ontologies to enable a meaningful reuse and integration. However, most existing approaches try to foster interoperability by standardization or alignment to foundational ontologies, thus enforcing a potentially huge set of abstract ontological commitments. Consequently, such methods typically restrict semantic heterogeneity or even actively try to 'resolve' it. While this may be desirable in certain settings, in many other cases it restricts the acceptance of ontologies and semantic technologies and even contradicts the evolving and diverse nature of interdisciplinary science. Thus, this session presents work that has the potential to foster interoperability without necessarily restricting heterogeneity too much.    (3FLX)

More details about this mini-series at: EarthScienceOntolog (home page for this mini-series)    (3FLY)

Briefings:    (3FLZ)

Agenda:    (3FMA)

EarthScienceOntolog - Panel Session-03    (3FMB)

Proceedings:    (3FMH)

Please refer to the above    (3FMI)

IM Chat Transcript captured during the session:    (3FMJ)

 see raw transcript here.    (3FMK)
 (for better clarity, the version below is a re-organized and lightly edited chat-transcript.)
 Participants are welcome to make light edits to their own contributions as they see fit.    (3FML)
 -- begin in-session chat-transcript --    (3FMM)
	[09:50] PeterYim: Welcome to the    (3G8J)
	 = EarthScienceOntolog: Panel Session-3 - Thu 2012-10-11  =    (3G8K)
	Mini-Series Theme: An Earth Science Ontology Dialog ("EarthScienceOntolog")    (3G8L)
	Session Topic: Heterogeneity-preserving Data Interoperability: Methods and Challenges    (3G8M)
	Session Co-chairs: Professor KrzysztofJanowicz and Professor PascalHitzler    (3G8N)
	Panelists:
	* Dr. SimonScheider - "What does it take to interoperate? Semantic interoperability revisited in terms of human digital communication"
	* Dr. PrateekJain - "Ontology matching and Data Interoperability using community generate data"
	* Mr. BenjaminAdams - "Semantic Similarity Measurement for Geo-Ontologies"
	* Professor GiancarloGuizzardi - "Formal Ontology, Ontological (Anti-)Patterns and Model Simulation"    (3G8O)
	Logistics:    (3G8P)
	* Refer to details on session page at: http://ontolog.cim3.net/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?ConferenceCall_2012_10_11    (3G8Q)
	* (if you haven't already done so) please click on "settings" (top center) and morph from "anonymous" to your RealName    (3G8R)
	* Mute control: *7 to un-mute ... *6 to mute    (3G8S)
	* Can't find Skype Dial pad?
	** for Windows Skype users: Can't find Skype Dial pad? ... it's under the "Call" dropdown menu as "Show Dial pad"
	** for Linux Skype users: please stay with (or downgrade to) Skype version 2.x for now 
	  (as a Dial pad seems to be missing on Linux-based Skype v4.x for skype-calls.)    (3G8T)
	 == Proceedings: ==    (3G8U)
	[10:08] JavierGarcia: I can not see the slides in Skype    (3G8V)
	[10:08] JavierGarcia: I thought you were sharing the desktop    (3G8W)
	[10:08] PeterYim: session started ...    (3G8X)
	[10:08] JavierGarcia: Is there a way that you can provide me with a link for the slides???    (3G8Y)
	[10:09] PeterYim: == KrzysztofJanowicz and PascalHitzler doing the session introduction ...    (3G8Z)
	[10:09] NicholasDelRio: Javier: 
	http://ontolog.cim3.net/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?ConferenceCall_2012_10_11#nid3FKG 0-chair for current slides    (3G90)
	[10:09] JavierGarcia: thanks    (3G91)
	[10:10] PeterYim: @Javier - we are sharing slides if you can get into the vnc server (but those 
	behind corporate firewalls will have to run the slides on their own desktop)    (3G92)
	[10:15] PeterYim: == SimonScheider presenting ...    (3G93)
	[10:29] GaryBergCross: @Simon Thanks! I note in passing that Theories of Mind (ToM) might be a 
	useful intermediate concept to support Semantic Imitation.    (3G94)
	[11:01] SimonScheider: Thank you Gary for the hint;)    (3G95)
	[11:16] EdwinMorris: Encode and decode are relative to the human interface. So the challenge is 
	during encode process to create a deeper level of meaning/labels/objects existing beyond just 
	language base? This would make machine comprehension and decoding much disambiguated...    (3G96)
	[10:30] PeterYim: == PrateekJain presenting ...    (3G97)
	[10:46] PeterYim: == BenAdams presenting ...    (3G98)
	[11:07] PeterYim: == GiancarloGuizzardi presenting ...    (3G99)
	[11:32] GaryBergCross: Giancarlo is there a publication that lists the Ontologies Analyzed such as 
	the Ontology from the Biodiversity Domain?    (3G9A)
	[11:32] GiancarloGuizzardi: @Gary: the current report was published in the following paper:    (3G9B)
	[11:33] GiancarloGuizzardi: SALES, T.P., BARCELOS, P.P.F., GUIZZARDI, G.: Identification of Semantic 
	Anti-Patterns in Ontology-Driven Conceptual Modeling via Visual Simulation, 4th International 
	Workshop on Ontology-Driven Information Systems (ODISE 2012), Graz, Austria, 2012 (together with the 
	7th International Conference on Formal Ontology in Information Systems FOIS 2012).    (3G9C)
	[11:29] PeterYim: == open Q&A and discussion ...    (3G9D)
	[11:22] PeterYim: ALL: it would be useful if you include a bit of context on your posts (think of 
	some person reading your entry 3 months or 5 years from now, and help him/her make sense of your 
	entry)    (3G9E)
	[11:13] GaryBergCross: These presentations are rich enough that it might take another session to 
	understand the related ideas between them and the implications. So I hope the speakers & organizers 
	will have a chance to do some of that relating and projecting.    (3G9F)
	[11:19] PeterYim: @Gary - good thinking ... since we have two more sessions coming up (after today's 
	session) in this mini-series, it would be useful to identify specifics, the chairs of the two 
	upcoming sessions (also online here) can incorporate some of that material into their upcoming 
	sessions    (3G9G)
	[11:20] KrzysztofJanowicz: @Peter: Yes, good idea    (3G9H)
	[11:45] GaryBergCross: I'm wondering if Ben sees the similarity work he discussed as being able to 
	address/support the ontology matching that Prateek discussed.    (3G9I)
	[ ..... ] ref. EdwinMorris's "almost 'tail wagging the dog'" comment ... on Simon's slide#7: the 
	function of interpretation is based on understanding the semantic relationship of a one way system 
	... onous is on the producer of the information (to provide metadata, disambiguate), rather than 
	spending effort in the middle ground trying to bridge the receiver and the producer of the 
	information    (3G9J)
	[11:48] MarkSchildhauer: Relative to Edwin's question, I think some work by Guarino&Welty 
	(OntoClean) and Barry Smith et al. (BFO) are attempting to come up with basic formalisms for 
	developing ontologies for use in the semantic web.    (3G9K)
	[11:49] MikeBennett: Seems to me that a good place to start on Edwin's question is the Peircean 
	semiotic triangle. Perhaps there is scope for some kind of feedback loop per Scheider which fine 
	tunes the effectiveness of the signification part of the triangle? Just a wild thought.    (3G9L)
	[11:50] EdwinMorris: Thank you    (3G9M)
	[11:53] SimonScheider: Thank you Mike, I think this is definitely related    (3G9N)
	[11:50] PascalHitzler: Question for Prateek: Do you see a way to modify your approach so that it can 
	generate multiple (different) alignments, each corresponding to a different perspective or context?    (3G9O)
	[11:54] PrateekJain: Yes! Something which is related to stuff which I have been doing here.. it 
	involves using the instances which come together    (3G9P)
	[11:54] EdwinMorris: Voice dropped    (3G9Q)
	[11:55] ToddSchneider: Edwin, NCOIC has attempted to address the issue you raised. See 
	https://www.ncoic.org/technology/deliverables/scope/ In the context of systems development many 
	times the need to represent the systems context is not recognized. But another aspect of the problem 
	is that the use of a system may change over time. In which case the original context may no longer 
	be valid.    (3G9R)
	[11:55] EdwinMorris: Todd thank you    (3G9S)
	[11:57] ToddSchneider: My VOIP has dropped out. Sorry.    (3G9T)
	[11:57] PascalHitzler: Todd you want to get back into the speakers queue?    (3G9U)
	[11:57] MarcioFaerman: Clusters are Simon's slide 9    (3G9V)
	[11:59] EdwinMorris: Dynamic semantic ontology that is expandable and scalable then? I think that 
	works...    (3G9W)
	[11:59] ToddSchneider: Edwin, another aspect of representing 'context' is the recognition that it 
	has to be represented. Then the problems become how much is enough and what mechanism(s) to use. Of 
	course it doesn't help that the notion of context is itself not well understood.    (3G9X)
	[12:00] EdwinMorris: Thank you--    (3G9Y)
	[12:00] BenAdams: Thanks everyone    (3G9Z)
	[12:00] SimonScheider: thank you    (3GA0)
	[12:01] Scott Hills: Thanks very much to the co-chairs and speakers    (3GA1)
	[12:01] GaryBergCross: FYI Spatial Ontology Community of Practice ( http://SOCoP.org ) is organizing 
	a free, hands on workshop to be held at the USGS National facility Nov 29-30 in Reston VA. There is 
	limited attendance organizing around 3 -4 Work Groups made up of domain experts, group facilitators 
	and people with semantic/ontological experience. Among the topics of groups being formed is one of 
	topographic mapping & hydrology concepts. This is a USGS effort to develop "ontologies useful in 
	multifarious applications, such as environmental modeling and EarthCube. Another topic is a more 
	abstract one on spatial regions as a type of containment schema that involve behavior associated 
	with an inside, an outside, a contained entity, and possibly a boundary There is a potentially 
	related group models the concept of Site as in EPA site or the geo-region of a bird nesting site or 
	with a school site, a wetland regions, a place identified as a marsh or a catchment area. We may 
	also have a group working on an expansion of a Semantic Trajectory ontology pattern to cover data 
	for migrations and shipping. I am still recruiting a few people to serve as facilitators and 
	modelers. If you are or know of some someone with CMAP and TTL syntax experience that would be a 
	great addition to our groups. Several of us have participated in VoCamp's to develop simple 
	ontologies with the most recent at Santa Barbara and Dayton having developed ontology patterns for 
	Movement, Path, and Semantic Trajectory. Inquiries to Gary Berg-Cross (SOCoP Secretary) gbergcross 
	[at] gmail.com    (3GA2)
	[12:02] PascalHitzler: thanks everybody :)    (3GA3)
	[12:02] MarkSchildhauer: Dalia and I (MarkSchildhauer) are organizing the Nov. 1 overview of "state 
	of earth science ontologies" so if you have any suggestions about who to invite to this, let us know 
	(schild [at] nceas.ucsb.edu).    (3GA4)
	[12:02] PeterYim: great session ... thanks everyone!    (3GA5)
	[12:03] PeterYim: -- session ended 12:01pm PDT --    (3GA6)
	[12:04] List of chat-room attendees: AidaGandara, AldenDima, AlexMirzaoff, AnneThessen, BenAdams, 
	BillNadal, BobbinTeegarden, ClarePaul, Cyber-ShARE, DaliaVaranka, Daniela, DavidValentine, 
	DeborahNichols, EdwinMorris, ElizabethFlorescu, ElizabethL, EvanWallace, FrankOlken, GaryBergCross, 
	GenhanChen, GiancarloGuizzardi, JavierGarcia, JohnMcGrath, JohnSowa, KowWengOnn, KrzysztofJanowicz, 
	MarcioFaerman, MarkSchildhauer, MaxGillmore, MikeBennett, NicholasDelRio, PascalHitzler, PatCassidy, 
	PeterYim, PrateekJain, RobertDowns, SongGao, ScottHills, ScottPeckham, SimonQiangLiu, SimonScheider, 
	TerryLongstreth, ToddSchneider, TomTinsley, XavierLopez, YingjieHu, vnc2, anonymous,    (3GA7)
 -- end of in-session chat-transcript --    (3FMN)

Additional Resources:    (3FMT)

For the record ...    (3FN3)

How To Join (while the session is in progress)    (3FN4)

Conference Call Details    (3EWQ)

Attendees    (3FLG)