RE: SUO: What the marketplace needs from us.
Hi Adam;
I'm just trying to suggest a focus. Upper ontology construction, I
think we agree, is a huge task. We are a small flete and will become
swamped if we are not selective about what cargo we bring on board
initially.
Cheers!
-Eric
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Adam Pease [mailto:apease@ks.teknowledge.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, April 30, 2003 12:55 PM
> To: Eric Peterson; standard-upper-ontology@ieee.org
> Subject: 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:
> >
> >
> >
> >My customer needs to tie together large numbers of structured data
sets
> >into one seamless analytical environment.
> >
> >They need to share that seamless picture with other groups.
> >
> >They need a robust object model to support such a seamless
environment.
> >
> >
> >
> >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.
> >
> >
> >
> >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.
> >
> >
> >
> >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.
> >
> >
> >
> >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.
> >
> >
> >
> >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.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >Eric Peterson
> >
> >Chief Technologist
> >
> >Harris Corp.
> >
> >
> >
> >