RE: Examples of Syntax and semantics

Henry Story notes: I am redirecting this message to the SemWeb list,  
as I do think that discussing concrete problems is a lot more useful  
than most of the rest of the conversation we have been having  
recently here. I am sure people on the Sem Web mailing list would  
much rather have their inbox filled with concrete problems than with  
high browed nonsense. I won't be able to answer this immediately  
though, as I have a tight deadline to meet at work.
----------------------------

Hi Henry,

I am answering this off list, because I am not sure everyone wants their
mail box filled with this discussion :)

First, thanks for your reply, and for putting some effort into it. I
always find these discussions fruitful.

It is true that it is possible to identify some correspondences between
these ontologies, which you have done.

Of course, it is also true that I could have arranged it so there were
no correspondences at all.  Specifically, if Class1 is A union B and
Class2 is A union C you cannot take an instance of Class1 and tell me
whether or not it is in Class2, or vice-versa.

I suppose the point you are making is that given Peter is o1:Married and
Paul is o3:Married, as a worst case you can "merge" the ontologies by
simply keeping the triples distinct.

I suppose the point I am making is that it is not very satisfactory to
have a "merged" ontology with two different concepts of what it is to be
married or unmarried, and that in hindsight it would have been better to
have placed the instances in a more general ontology which included the
concepts of "now", divorce and death.

So I think I am saying that

* It is quite legitimate to construct your own ontology, and collaborate
with other agents (people) over the web to populate it.

* You don't have to refer to anyone else's ontology to do this. It is
enough that it is useful.

* I can construct a different ontology in the same area, and "may the
best agent win".

* But you are most unlikely to be able to merge the ontologies in a
meaningful way unless both are based on a common parent. (I don't count
simply whacking all the triples into a single database as meaningful
merging).

Tim.

Received on Monday, 10 April 2006 07:08:33 UTC