Re: Integrity constraints in DAML-O (was: Chainsaw?)

Graham Klyne wrote:

> I felt that it was important that the proper name Boston referring to the
> east coast US city should be distinguishable from the same proper name
> referring to a small English town, etc.  I couldn't see how that
> distinction could be drawn using just literals.

I don't think the distinction can be drawn just using literals and I don't see
how the extra node helps draw it either.  Let's face it, the proper name
"Boston" stands in the same relationship to 2 cities.  But how about?

[BostonMA] --properName--> "Boston"
[BostonMA] --rdf:about-->"normative uri of Boston Ma, if known"
[BostonMA] --rdf:type-->[city]
[BostonMA]--geographicallyContainedIn-->[USstateMA]

Another stupid question:  Are we using rdf:type for --instanceOf-->[A class] ??

> However, your idea of hanging additional info off the properName property
> arc (or, strictly, off the reification of the properName statement) is, I
> think, truer to the concept here.  The proper name string "Boston" is after
> all just a string.  It's the way it's used (the entities to which it is
> applied) that distinguish its different uses.

I think the ability to factor information into the property node is an
overlooked power of labeled directed graphs (i.e. the RDF model) - see my
signature for example.   This probably comes about because everybody seems to
want to put information  belonging to the property nodes in separate scheme
files that are processed differently by the program and basically inaccessable
to the author.   The solution being, imho, to stop doing that.

> BTW, I don't think the ProperlyNamed class is really needed, since the same
> information can be inferred by the presence of the properName property
> (...maybe).

I agree.

PS: Should I worry about this cross posting between rdf-interest and rdf-logic?

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topic: Seth Russell
email: seth@robustai.net
properFirstName: Seth
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needsHelpWith: MyMemory

topic: needsHelpWith
description: <topic> knows how to make <object> work, but doesn't program fast
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topic: mime/topic
isA: language syntax
description: Designed to be easily readable by humans and easily translatable to
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Received on Saturday, 4 November 2000 13:25:36 UTC