Re: [semanticweb] how to explain to humans the term ontology

David wrote:
''Azamat -
I rarely contact a poster to this list, but I must say your comments are 
uncommonly articulate and well done.''


Thanks, David,

You stopped me thinking that many are here still zombified with this banal 
and trite stuff: 'a specification of a conceptualization..., 'a 
specification of a conceptualization...', etc.

Best regards,
Azamat Abdoullaev
http://www.eis.com.cy

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Provost" <david@davidprovost.com>
To: "Azamat" <abdoul@cytanet.com.cy>
Sent: Thursday, January 12, 2006 4:40 AM
Subject: Re: [semanticweb] how to explain to humans the term ontology


> Azamat -
>
> I rarely contact a poster to this list, but I must say your comments are
> uncommonly articulate and well done.
>
> David
>
> On 1/11/06 5:24 PM, "Azamat" <abdoul@cytanet.com.cy> wrote:
>
>>
>> ''Ontology is a field of computer science which is primarily occupied 
>> with
>> methods and tools for structuring data processed by computer 
>> applications.''
>> ...''I like this approach Pierre.''
>>
>> I wonder how this mess can be declared and supported on the public 
>> listing,
>> which involves many readers, even allowing the freedom of speech 
>> principle.
>>
>> It is a common place that [Ontology is an account of reality and 
>> realities].
>> Thus it concerns with [the entity and relation types in the world] at the
>> first place. Only at the second, it studies how the realities [world 
>> things]
>> relate to the concepts and associations in the mind, to the coded
>> representations and structures in machines, and to the words and 
>> sentences
>> in natural languages.
>> That's it. No need to invent the wheel and tax your mind.
>>
>> Only as a regional ontology, it may be a computing (programming) 
>> ontology, a
>> field of computer science.... Moreover, the computing ontology gives not
>> only the tools for organizing information (data) but also [the mechanisms 
>> of
>> reasoning over data], like it is correctly proposed by Tim et al. in the
>> Semantic Web article.
>>
>> Azamat Abdoullaev
>> http://www.eis.com.cy
>>
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Wojick, David" <WojickD@osti.gov>
>> To: "Pierre Grenon" <pierregrenon@gmail.com>
>> Cc: <>
>> Sent: Wednesday, January 11, 2006 11:29 PM
>> Subject: RE: [semanticweb] how to explain to humans the term ontology
>>
>>
>>> I like this approach Pierre. It is what I would call the modest end of 
>>> the
>>> spectrum, nothing about reading and reasoning. As a journalist I would 
>>> use
>>> the modest or the ambitious versions depending on the audience.
>>>
>>> My one major concern is that "data" is often thought of as numbers, and
>>> data processing as number crunching. That is why I talk about words and
>>> text documents. Do you want to try re-phrasing?
>>>
>>> On a smaller scale the use of "template" seems technical and 
>>> unnecessary.
>>> Why not just say "applied to raw data, an ontology produces structured
>>> data." Also, the map legend analogy does not work for me, because I 
>>> don't
>>> think of the legend as being applied.
>>>
>>> Precise definition and explanation can be fun and is certainly tough. I
>>> have worked on drafting federal regulations where every word counts and
>>> vast sums are on the line. Defining "hazardous waste" for example.
>>>
>>> Best regards,
>>>
>>> David
>>>
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Pierre Grenon [mailto:pierregrenon@gmail.com]
>>> Sent: Wed 1/11/2006 11:51 AM
>>> To: Wojick, David
>>> Cc: semanticweb@yahoogroups.com
>>> Subject: Re: [semanticweb] how to explain to humans the term ontology
>>>
>>> Greetings,
>>>
>>> That's a funny, even if tough, exercise. Here's what I'd put without
>>> shame in a document for non specialists worrying about ontologies in
>>> information science:
>>>
>>> Ontology is a field of computer science which is primarily occupied
>>> with methods and tools for structuring data processed by computer
>>> applications. An ontology is like a template (applied to raw data, it
>>> produces structured data) and can be compared to the the legend of a
>>> map. Ontologically structured data has an added value which benefits a
>>> wide range of computer applications such as, for instance,
>>> classification of products and services, indexing of documents,
>>> processing of natural language, extraction of inexplicit information.
>>>
>>> Cheers,
>>> Pierre
>>>
>>> On 1/5/06, Wojick, David <WojickD@osti.gov> wrote:
>>>> How about these three sentences?
>>>>
>>>>  An ontology is a set of definitions and other important connections
>>>> between words in a selected group of words. Ontologies are designed to
>>>> help computers process text documents. The goal is for computers to
>>>> simulate reading by humans.
>>>>
>>>>  (Basically what ontologies are, what they do, and why we care.)
>>>>
>>>>  David
>>>>
>>>> "David E. Wojick, Ph.D." <WojickD@osti.gov>
>>>> Senior Consultant
>>>> Innovations in Scientific Knowledge and Advancement (ISKA)
>>>> http://www.osti.gov/iska
>>>> A strategic initiative of the Office of Scientific and Technical
>>>> Information, US Department of Energy
>>>>
>>>> (540) 858-3136
>>>> 391 Flickertail Lane, Star Tannery, VA 22654 USA
>>>> http://www.bydesign.com/powervision/resume.html provides my bio and
>>>> client list
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> -----Original Message-----
>>>> From:   Bernd Mueller [mailto:bernd@smu-mail.de]
>>>> Sent:   Tue 1/3/2006 4:17 AM
>>>> To:     semanticweb@yahoogroups.com
>>>> Cc:
>>>> Subject:        [semanticweb] how to explain humans the term ontology
>>>>
>>>> Hello list,
>>>>
>>>> I have workd for a long term on semantic web technologies ... But there
>>>> is a problem growing more and more.
>>>>
>>>> How can I explain the term ontology to people who are not familiar with
>>>> computer science?
>>>>
>>>> Is it not possible or am I too much inside this area?
>>>>
>>>> How can I explain the term ontology in three sentences and easy words 
>>>> to
>>>> a normal person?
>>>>
>>>> Greets,
>>>> Bernd
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Yahoo! Groups Links
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Yahoo! Groups Links
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Yahoo! Groups Links
>>>
>>> <*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
>>>    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/semanticweb/
>>>
>>> <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
>>>    semanticweb-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>>>
>>> <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
>>>    http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>

Received on Thursday, 12 January 2006 09:41:29 UTC