CALL FOR PARTICIPATION: ONTOLOGY FOR THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY (OIC 2008)

Apologies for multiple postings.

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                        Call for Participation

      OIC 2008: ONTOLOGY FOR THE INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY
Toward Effective Exploitation and Integration of Intelligence Resources
                     http://c4i.gmu.edu/OIC08

                          Keynote Speakers:
                         Deborah McGuinness
                          Michael Gruninger

          George Mason University, Fairfax, Virginia

                      December 3-4, 2008
(Classified session December 5 for those with TS/SCI clearances only.
      For further information contact: oic-2008-ts-sci@cox.net)

The tasks of collecting, analyzing, and disseminating intelligence  
grow more complex with every year, the emergence of new technologies  
and new types of threats. New approaches are required to enable  
greater flexibility, precision, timeliness and automation of analysis  
in response to rapidly evolving threats.  Ontology-based technology as  
applied in areas such as bioinformatics has demonstrated the  
possibility of gains along all of these dimensions. The time is ripe  
to extend these gains to other spheres.

This conference will bring together experts on ontology-based  
technology with particular experience in the problems facing the  
intelligence community. It will feature invited talks from prominent  
ontologists and intelligence community leaders, as well as submitted  
papers focusing especially on the creation of public-domain ontology  
resources to support the work of intelligence analysts.

Registration is now open at http://c4i.gmu.edu/OIC08. Register soon -  
earlybird rate ends November 11.

For inquiries please write to the conference co-chairs:

Kathryn Blackmond Laskey
C4I Center and SEOR Department
4400 University Drive, MS 4B5
George Mason University
Fairfax, VA 22030-4444
klaskey@gmu.edu

Duminda Wijesekera
Department of Computer Science
4400 University Drive, MS 4A5
George Mason University
Fairfax, VA 22030-4444
dwijesek@gmu.edu


Scientific Committee

Bill Andersen (Ontology Works)
Selmer Bringsjord (Rensselaer Polytechnic University)
Dennis Buede (Innovative Decisions, Inc.)
Werner Ceusters (University at Buffalo)
Randall Dipert (University at Buffalo)
Katherine Goodier (US Department of Defence/NCI)
Kathleen Stewart Hornsby (University of Iowa)
Terry Janssen (Lockheed Martin Corporation)
Kathryn Blackmond Laskey (George Mason University, co-chair)
Nancy Lawler (US Department of Defense)
Kevin Lynch (CIA)
Dan Maxwell (Innovative Decisions, Inc.)
Fabian Neuhaus (NIST)
Leo Obrst (MITRE Corporation)
Steven Robertshaw (UK Defence Science and Technology Laboratory)
Barry Smith (University at Buffalo)
Duminda Wijesekera (George Mason University, co-chair)

Corporate Sponsor:

Innovative Decisions, Inc.