SUMO technical editorship

[Allan Terry <aterry@teknowledge.com>]

Title:

I am committed to seeing SUMO become a freely available, widely adopted standard.  I'll admit some self interest in this since Teknowledge's AI work is deeply founded upon SUMO.  We have multiple active projects that use it, I write it into every proposal with an ontological or raspect to it, and promote it to all our research & business contacts.  I mention this to say that Teknowledge's nexus of SUMO projects and people is the ideal place to continue nurturing SUMO.  I also have a strong technical bias that nimble, "big enough" ontologies are the most practical approach for intelligent programs.

Ian was precisely the right person to pull SUMO together and create the initial document.  At this junction in SUMO's life cycle, I suspect the most difficult of the technical decisions have been made, and the main task is gaining acceptance in both the IEEE SUO work group and in the world beyond that.  It is then valuable that I have both commercial experience along with AI research background.  Many of my projects have featured a strong technology transfer component based on experience.  I have also spent a lot of time evangelizing for AI technology, and don't underestimate that task.

At this junction in SUMO's life, it is also useful to think in terms of what it takes to complete a standard.  It is common for people to become entrenched in technical and emotional positions, and then the process fails to move.  My company has been involved in a number of standization efforts and is in the midst of several right now--we have a deep bench of people I can tap for experience if I should need it.  It takes a very long term committement and a willingness to listen closely to all sides.  I am offering to make these committments.

I have been involved in knowledge representation issues for at least 25 years.  Not all of that was formal ontology (and indeed that term has really come into common use only recently).  But I have a long history of getting expert and domain knowledge stated precisely for computational use, starting with my dissertation work.  I also have a strong background in getting diverse communities to come to agreement and in managing change.  I was the product manager for two major AI products and understand the need to be careful about making changes that impact an installed base, and in satisfying as many stakeholders as possible. 

My view of the technical editor's job:  I don't think of it as managing, as in "driving SUMO down a specific technical path".  I certainly have my opinions and will voice them. The technical editor needs to ensure all sides of the issues are debated but then needs to facilitate the group's consensus.  I am patient, non-dogmatic, and am happy to do this.

I am not that fond of GNU.  It has been a barrier to SUMO adoption on several occasions.  More importantly, SUMO should have IEEE licensing and I fixed that.  SUMO was developed at Teknowledge, but the IEEE owns the working groups' draft standards.   Teknowledge's ontologies (MILO and domain ontologies) and tools are provided to the community freely under Government Purposes, academic, or research freeware (pick your category) licenses.

I would be honored to be the next technical editor for SUMO.  I believe I have the right qualifications for SUMO's current needs and am situated in the right place to be effective.

regards, Allan