Upper-Level Ontology Upper-Level Ontology Considerations for the Geospatial Considerations for the Geospatial Ontology Community of PracticeOntology Community of Practice

Eric Little, PhDD’Youville College

Center for Ontology & Interdisciplinary StudiesNational Center for Ontology Research (NCOR)

little@dcy.edueglittle@eng.buffalo.edu

Purpose of the GSOCoP

• all information about government assets and services - and about the citizen beneficiaries of those services - has a location component.

• (E.g.,) education, voting, grant eligibility, benefit claims, medical care, recreational opportunities and more.

• Governments need to pay attention to changes in land use, land cover, shorelines, population, wealth distribution, transportation, hazards, threats, energy systems, etc.

(From: S. Bacharach, 2005)

Theoretical and Implementational Concerns

• Information will come from different sources – thus the need for an overarching architecture (Reference Ontology).– How to provide this? What is the “ontological

pedigree” needed? How does the community build a consensus (if there is one)?

• Implementational concerns (robustness vs. computational tractability, user needs, legacy data systems)

Theoretical Concerns (cont.)

• Differences in topographical representations– cartographers, information scientists, geomorphologists

and environmental modelers (field of elevations or as some discrete approximation to such a field).

– Pilots, explorers,anthropologists, ecologists, hikers, and archeologists identify (special sorts of) objects (hills and valleys, mountains and plains, barrows and trenches), with locations, shapes, and often names of their own (Mark & Smith, 2003)

– Need for REALISM + PERSPECTIVALISM

• Problems of Vagueness and Granularity (e.g., boundaries, dependent parts, etc.)

• Need a good theory of RELATIONS

Geographical Entities are Indeterminate and Ambiguous Objects

Philosophically speaking: Where does themountain begin and the valley end?

How can we derive a commonsemantics which can refer accurately

to these kinds of objects?

Ambiguity/Vagueness

• The problems of ambiguity, vagueness, granularity, etc., point to the need for metaphysically-based upper ontologies.

• In other words, we need to be analytically consistent about many kinds of geographic items.

• We also need to capture issues surrounding conceptualization of these items.– Helps with CSE, WDA, and other kinds of user-centric

needs.

How Can Upper Ontologies Help?

• Upper Ontologies are DOMAIN INDEPENDENT, so they allow for disparate systems to reason about basic elements common to all ontologies (processes, objects, spaces, etc.)

• Can be used to TRANSLATE across different domain ontologies by providing appropriate (inter-theoretical) semantic content.

• Conceptual mapping becomes easier and more consistent, if there is a good upper-ontology being utilized.

Many Choices Exist…

• Varieties of Upper Ontology Tools include (but are certainly not limited to):– DOLCE– SUMO– WonderWeb– OCHRE– BFO– Upper CYC– Information Flow Framework (IFF) […]

OBO Foundry

Taxonomies

Grinding

Hardening

Lapping

Honing

Machining

Finishing

Milling

Molding

Forming

Embossing

Electroforming

Electrocoating

Electrocleaning

Heating

Hobbing

Hemming

Hammering

Galvanizing

Fullering

Forging

Etching

Peening

Nitriding

Nailing

Knurling

Modeling

Deep Grinding

Center Type Grinding

Centerless Grinding

Abrasive MachineGrinding

Abrasive BeltGrinding

Creep Feed

External CylindricalGrinding

Internal CylindricalGrinding

Cylindrical Grinding

ElectrochemicalGrinding (ECG)

Laser BeamMachining (LBM)

Electric DischargeMachining (EDM)

Electron-beamMachining (EBM)

Chemical Machining(CHM)

Abrasive JetMachining

Desktop Milling

Conventional FaceMilling

Slot Milling

Slab Milling

Knee & ColumnMilling

Face Milling

End Milling

Down Milling

Up Milling

Impression-dieForging

Hot-die Forging

Bobbing Forging

Flashless Froging

Open-Die Forging

Upset Forging

Swaging Forging

Spin Forging

Roll Forging

Radial Forging

Vehicle

Tank

ArmorTurretTrack

Is-a

Part-ofPart-ofPart-of

Unconventional Threat

Intent Capability Opportunity

• Instill Fear• Disrupt PoliticalStructures• Disrupt Financial Structures• Religious (Political)Ideology …

• Unconventional Weapons (CBRN’s)• Unconventional Tactics (suicide)• Short-term vs.Long-term Effects …

• UnconventionalTargets (e.g., soft)• Financial Networks• Network Capabilities• Areas of Influence • Ease of mobility …

Unconventional Threat

Intent Capability Opportunity

• Instill Fear• Disrupt PoliticalStructures• Disrupt Financial Structures• Religious (Political)Ideology …

• Unconventional Weapons (CBRN’s)• Unconventional Tactics (suicide)• Short-term vs.Long-term Effects …

• UnconventionalTargets (e.g., soft)• Financial Networks• Network Capabilities• Areas of Influence • Ease of mobility …

Taxonomies vs. Ontologies

Urban Environment Taxonomy

IED TaxonomyDirty BombTaxonomy

Taxonomy A Taxonomy B Taxonomy C

ONTOLOGY

ETC…Urban Environment Taxonomy

IED TaxonomyDirty BombTaxonomy

Taxonomy A Taxonomy B Taxonomy C

ONTOLOGY

ETC…

Relations are KeyTaxonomy of Relations

Existential

Intentional

Grounded

External

Internal Identity

Founded

Unfounded

Logical Relations

Fictional

RealRepresentational

Presentational

Not SatisfiedSatisfied

Not SatisfiedSatisfied

Mutually Dependent

1-Sided DependenceA is Constituted by B

A & B are Founded on Each Other

A & B Constitute Each Other

A is Founded on B

Efficient Causality

Relation

Taxonomy of Relations

Existential

Intentional

Grounded

External

Internal Identity

Founded

Unfounded

Logical Relations

Fictional

RealRepresentational

Presentational

Not SatisfiedSatisfied

Not SatisfiedSatisfied

Mutually Dependent

1-Sided DependenceA is Constituted by B

A & B are Founded on Each Other

A & B Constitute Each Other

A is Founded on B

Efficient Causality

Relation

Trans-Ontological Relations (from BFO)

• Provide complex relations which exist BETWEEN the orthogonal ontologies of SNAP (spatial items) and SPAN (temporal items).

• Can be used to model many kinds of relations between endurants and perdurants – (e.g., an agent’s role as doctor and husband, given

certain contexts (contracts/promises) and relationships to various social organizations (medical schools, legal systems).

SNAP-SPAN Relations

SNAP• Independent Items• Dependent Items• Spatial Regions

SPAN• Processural Entities• Processural Events

(instants)• Temporal Regions

Relations can be of the general types:(SNAP SNAP)(SNAP SPAN)(SPAN SNAP)(SPAN SPAN)

Formal Relation Types(SNAP-SNAP & SPAN-SPAN)

• SNAP-SNAP– Genidentity. (A=a+b &

A=A)– Transgranular Part-

Whole Relations. (P.O. – Aggregate)

– Subsumtion Relation

• SPAN-SPAN– Genidentity. (A=a+b &

A=A)– Transgranular Part-

Whole Relations. (Event/Process – Aggregate)

– Subsumtion Relation

Most Basic Formal Relation Type (SNAP-SPAN)

• Segmentation (Individuation)– Tennis Match (fiat boundary of sets, games)– Occipital Lobe (fiat boundary determined by

function of cells)

• Segmentation in SNAP can be bona fide or fiat (distinct substantial boundaries)

• Segmentation in SPAN is fiat (processes exist as continua only – everything is in flux)

SNAP Indep. SPAN

• Participation (subset of Dep. Relation) (substance affects process)– Perpetration (Active Agency)

• Initiation (=activation, begin, commencement)• Perpetuation (=continuation, sustainment)• Termination (=cessation, end)

– Influence• Facilitation (influence a PART of process/event)• Hindrance (impede a PART of process/event)

– Mediation (Indirect influence on a process)

– Patiency (Passive Agency) (A process carried out in a non-agentive manner by a substance – e.g. digestion)

SNAP dep. SPAN

• Realization (Dep. Substances are realized via their behaviors/activities) – Initiation– Persistance– Termination

• Includes, Roles, Powers, Functions, Liabilities, Perspectives, etc., which may exist even when not being immediately realized (when one is asleep, when an object is not currently in use)

SPAN SNAP (Indep. & Dep.)

• Involvement (converse of Participation)– Creation– Sustainment of Being– Degradation– Destruction– Affection (SPANSNAP dep.)

• Creation• Continuation• Degradation• Destruction

– Demarcation– Blurring

SNAP Spatial Region SPAN Temporal Region

• Projection– Process PROJECTS onto a temporal axis

(SPANSPAN)– Substance PROJECTS onto a period of time

(SNAPSPAN)– Process PROJECTS onto a spatial location

(SPANSNAP)