Comment on http://dvcs.w3.org/hg/prov/raw-file/tip/ontology/ProvenanceOntology.owl

The definition of Quotation includes "Quotation is a particular case of
derivation.". However Quotation is not a subclass of Derivation, which is
what the english would imply. A better wording, assuming I understand the
current english would be: "Quotation is a kind of derivation".

On quick glance (I will try to submit a more detailed report) there are a
number of cases where the subclass relation is not used in a way that seems
consistent with the definition. For example:

Influence:

Influence is the capacity an entity, activity, or agent to have an effect
on the character, development, or behavior of another by means of usage,
start, end, generation, invalidation, communication, derivation,
attribution, association, or delegation.

Subclass,

Entity influence:

EntityInfluence provides additional descriptions of an Entity's binary
influence upon any other kind of resource. Instances of EntityInfluence use
the prov:entity property to cite the influencing Entity.

Subclass:

Start:
Start is when an activity is deemed to have started. The activity did not
exist before its start. Any usage or generation involving an activity
follows the activity's start. A start may refer to an entity, known as
trigger, that set off the activity, or to an activity, known as starter,
that generated the trigger.

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So an influence is a capacity, an entity influence is a provider (of
descriptions) and a start is a "when" (a time). None of these are
subclasses of the other in the general understanding of the english terms.

-Alan

Received on Thursday, 13 September 2012 10:59:28 UTC