Re: SUO: What the marketplace needs from us.
Eric,
SUMO contain such simple structure. Consumers who aren't interested in
rules, but just the type structure could use the DAML/RDF version at
<http://reliant.teknowledge.com/DAML/SUMO.daml>. Does this meet the need
that you're suggesting?
Adam
At 01:47 PM 4/28/2003 -0400, Eric Peterson wrote:
>My current role is in advising a particular portion of the US government
>in where to focus a few of its technological expenditures. In that
>capacity, I have been getting to know a vast sea of data sets, tools, and
>legacy systems. And I have formed the view that the most crying
>technological needs happen to be ones with which we ontologists can help:
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>My customer needs to tie together large numbers of structured data sets
>into one seamless analytical environment.
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>They need to share that seamless picture with other groups.
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>They need a robust object model to support such a seamless environment.
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>To that end, Im not looking for, Horn clauses or free form axioms. Im
>looking for what I call structural axioms. Structural axioms specify the
>object-oriented subset of a logical theory namely entities, type
>inheritance, other relations, relation argument typing (argxIsa), etc.
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>They need an upper ontology from which to derive our object model. To me,
>an upper ontology means chiefly the structural axioms starting with
>Thingand descending the inheritance lattice a relatively small number of
>levels. The focus of that ontology is the actual domain entities such as
>people, events, places, but includes other entities and relations needed
>to properly specify and utilize the these domain definitions.
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>Please give us the simple structural definitions with which we can model
>our domains. Horn clauses are wonderful, but they havent yet made much of
>an impact on the market place since I first encountered them as an
>undergraduate a couple of decades ago. And if the marketplace isnt ready
>for Horn clauses, it certainly isnt ready for more sophisticated free-form
>axioms.
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>In the commercial world, Ive found the need to be the same. When Deborah
>McGuiness helped VerticalNet to set up their ontology group, she advised
>the same structural subset of logic. Pat Cassidy and I worked in that
>ontology group (for Leo Obrst) where we oversaw and helped with the
>knitting together of multiple product catalogues into one seamless product
>picture.
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>So Im suggesting that if we are not focusing on structural axioms we are
>not giving the marketplace what it really needs or will soon fund seriously.
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>Eric Peterson
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>Chief Technologist
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>Harris Corp.
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