Key Tenets of the Ontolog NhinRfi Response (9DT)
We believe support for biomedical ontologies is essential for the NHII. (9DU)
We believe that in order for the vision of a National Health Information Infrastructure to be feasible, it should have the following characteristics (9DV)
- an open information model that can evolve and support industrial, government and academic participants, and which is supported by an open information model and open software tools (9DW)
- a formal system in which the meaning of all terms is made explicit and the language in which the definitions are expressed is also open, formally defined, standard and computable. (9DX)
- a system in which the formal definitions for all terms are based on definitions of the most common and general concepts in our world, in order to ensure that the scope of concepts is not defined so narrowly that the NHII is not able to accomodate future expansion of scope (9DY)
Many past and current efforts at information integration have failed because of the following reasons (9DZ)
- information models are created from scratch, rather than reusing earlier work (9E0)
- This entails wasted effort from debugging and validating the new model, rather than reusing an existing debugged and validated model (9E1)
- information models fail to conform to the best practices of the knowledge representation and applied philosophy communities (9E2)
- Related to the reuse isssue above, the models repeat previous mistakes, instead of leveraging previous solutions (9E3)
- information models are created ad hoc by individuals <musen: or committees> who are not guided by extending a validated foundational information model, and who are not trained in the appropriate disciplines (9E4)
- the representation languages used are either (or both): (9E5)
- confusing issues of language (terminology) with issues of concept definition (9E8)
- confusing issues of knowledge (facts) with issues of concept definition (9E9)
- insufficient tool support (9EA)
- insufficient education and training of model authors (9EB)
- too many implicit assumptions in the model that are later violated when program scope changes or is expanded (9EC)
- divergence of models created by different authors, due to the lack of an objective and automated conformance and validation process (9ED)
We propose the following solution to the technological challenges of NHI (9EE)
- open source tool support from the leading ontology development environment - Protege (9EF)
- reuse of a formal ontology, which embodies the best practices in information model development - the Suggested Upper Merged Ontology. In particular we will map and relate the HL7 Reference Information Model (RIM) to SUMO in order to make recommendations for extending and formalizing the HL7. (9EG)
- use of standard formal representation languages, including Ontology Web Language and Simplified Common Logic (9EH)
- Additionally, we believe in the process of open collaboration as the optimal means to bootstrap the development and continuous improvement of such National Health Information infrastructure, system or network. (9EI)
We propose the following solutions to the combined technological and social challenges of NHI (9EJ)
- a program of education on ontology building, ontology reuse and ontology tools (9EK)
- an objective and automated formal conformance and validation process for health and medical extensions to the SUMO foundation and its mapping to HL7. (9EL)
- that multiple open communities of practice be engaged (newly formed, where necessary) to harness the distributed human and knowledge resources that can be put to bear to bootstrap the development and continuous improvement of the envisioned National Health Information Network. (9EM)
- Notes from the 2005.01.06 call (9EN)
- (9EO)
- Peter suggested we try to engage a HL7 person - Mark agreed and suggested that Christopher Chute (co-chair of HL7 Vocabulary WG) to be a good candidate.[nid 32] (9EP)
- Peter also suggested we look into doing a mapping exercise on a segment of HL7 RIM and SUMO as a demonstration (similar to our CCT-Rep exercise) - everyone agreed. (9EQ)
- Nicolas discussed, and later documented his comments. see: http://ontolog.cim3.net/forum/ontolog-forum/2005-01/msg00005.html#nid010 (9ER)
- Peter's suggestions on adding the CoP process adopted. (9ES)
- (9ET)
- need resolution by Tue 2005.01.11 on the issue of whether we commit to "SUMO" or to an "upper ontology such as SUMO" in our 1/18 deliverable. (9EU)
- (9F6)
- (9F7)
- (9F8)
- reuse of a formal ontology, which embodies the best practices in information model development - the Suggested Upper Merged Ontology. In particular we will map and relate the HL7 Reference Information Model (RIM) to SUMO in order to make recommendations for extending and formalizing the HL7. (022) (9F9)
- (9F8)
- (9F7)
-- (9H5)
- Further suggestions: (9H6)
- (9H7)
- addition of: "that open standards be encouraged, and supported, wherever possible. By "open", we refer to both (a) the access to such standards, and (b) the process by which they are developed." (Yim / 2005.01.11_06:52_PST, ref: http://ontolog.cim3.net/forum//health-ont/2005-01/msg00012.html) (9H8)
- Adam also proposed that we clearly state our support for an "open source" upper ontology (9H9)
- at the 2005.01.11 call, we got consensus to add the two points stated above (as proposed by Peter and Adam) (9HA)