REMINDER: NCBO Webinar Series - Parsa Mirhaji, Dec. 2

The next NCBO Webinar will be held TOMORROW, December 2 at 10am PT. Please
note there will not be a VOIP option and attendees must call into the
teleconference.

The Webinar will be presented by Dr. Parsa Mirhaji, from The School of
Health Information Sciences at the University of Texas at Houston. The title
of the presentation will be “UMLS-SKOS: A Semantic Web Framework for
Representation of Biomedical Terminological Knowledge using Simple Knowledge
Organization System (SKOS)”. Below is information on how to join the online
meeting and accompanying teleconference. For a schedule of the 2009-2010
presentations or for more information about the NCBO Seminar series, see:
http://www.bioontology.org/seminar-series.

Title:
UMLS-SKOS: A Semantic Web Framework for Representation of Biomedical
Terminological Knowledge using Simple Knowledge Organization System (SKOS)


Abstract:
SKOS is a Semantic Web framework for representing thesauri, classification
schemes, subject heading systems, controlled vocabularies, and taxonomies.
It enables novel ways of representing terminological knowledge and its
linkage with domain knowledge in unambiguous, reusable, and encapsulated
fashion within computer applications. According to the National Library of
Medicine, the UMLS Knowledge Source (UMLS-KS) integrates and distributes key
terminology, classification and coding standards, and associated resources
to promote creation of more effective and interoperable biomedical
information systems and services “that behave as if they ‘understand’ the
meaning of the language of biomedicine and health”. However the current
information representation model utilized by UMLS-KS itself is not conducive
to computer programs effectively retrieving and automatically and
unambiguously interpreting the ‘meaning’ of the biomedical terms and
concepts and their relationships.

In this presentation we propose using Simple Knowledge Organization System
(SKOS) as an alternative to represent the body of knowledge incorporated
within the UMLS-KS within the framework of the Semantic Web technologies. We
also introduce our conceptualization of a transformation algorithm to
produce an SKOS representation of the UMLS-KS that integrates UMLS-Semantic
Network, the UMLS-Metathesaurus complete with all its source vocabularies as
a unified body of knowledge along with appropriate information to trace or
segregate information based on provenance and governance information. Our
proposal and method is based on the idea that formal and explicit
representation of any body of knowledge enables its unambiguous, and precise
interpretation by automated computer programs. The consequences of such
undertaking would be at least three fold: 1) ability to automatically check
inconsistencies and errors within a large and complex body of knowledge, 2)
automated information interpretation, integration, and discovery, and 3)
better information sharing, repurposing and reusing (adoption), and
extending the knowledgebase within a distributed and collaborative community
of researchers. We submit that UMLS-KS is no exception to this and may
benefit from all those advantages if represented fully using a formal
representation language. Using SKOS in combination with the transformation
algorithm introduced in this presentation are our first steps in that
direction. We explain our conceptualization of the algorithms, problems we
encountered and how we addressed them with a brief gap analysis to outline
the road ahead of us. At the end we also present several use cases from our
laboratories at the School of Health information Sciences utilizing this
artifact.


Topic: NCBO Seminar Series
Date: Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Time: 10:00 am, Pacific Standard Time (San Francisco, GMT-08:00)
Meeting Number: 926 719 478
Meeting Password: ncbomeeting


-------------------------------------------------------
To join the online meeting (Now from iPhones too!)
-------------------------------------------------------
1. Go to
https://stanford.webex.com/stanford/j.php?ED=107799137&UID=0&PW=NNzlkODFlYWVm&RT=MiM0
2. Enter your name and email address.
3. Enter the meeting password: ncbomeeting
4. Click "Join Now".
5. Follow the instructions that appear on your screen.

To view in other time zones or languages, please click the link:
https://stanford.webex.com/stanford/j.php?ED=107799137&UID=0&PW=NNzlkODFlYWVm&ORT=MiM0

-------------------------------------------------------
To join the audio conference only
-------------------------------------------------------
Call-in toll number (US/Canada): 1-650-429-3300
Global call-in numbers:
https://stanford.webex.com/stanford/globalcallin.php?serviceType=MC&ED=107799137&tollFree=0

Access code:926 719 478

-------------------------------------------------------
For assistance
-------------------------------------------------------
1. Go to https://stanford.webex.com/stanford/mc
2. On the left navigation bar, click "Support".

You can contact me at:
whetzel@stanford.edu


To update this meeting to your calendar program (for example Microsoft
Outlook), click this link:
https://stanford.webex.com/stanford/j.php?ED=107799137&UID=0&ICS=UMI&LD=1&RD=2&ST=1&SHA2=sscJxPSrxubkyAnBruXELuZe4XBKeHnhQa70aJiFfUI=&RT=MiM0


WebEx will automatically setup Meeting Manager for Windows the first time
you join a meeting. To save time, you can setup prior to the meeting by
clicking this link:
https://stanford.webex.com/stanford/meetingcenter/mcsetup.php





Trish Whetzel, PhD
Outreach Coordinator
The National Center for Biomedical Ontology
Ph: 650-721-2378
whetzel@stanford.edu
http://www.bioontology.org



_______________________________________________
NCBO-PublicTalks mailing list
NCBO-PublicTalks@lists.stanford.edu
https://mailman.stanford.edu/mailman/listinfo/ncbo-publictalks