A framework for developing engineering design ontologies within the aerospace industry

This paper presents a framework for developing engineering design ontologies within the aerospace industry. The aim of this approach is to strengthen the modularity and reuse of engineering design ontologies to support knowledge management initiatives within the aerospace industry. Successful development and effective utilisation of engineering ontologies strongly depends on the method/framework used to develop them. Ensuring modularity in ontology design is essential for engineering design activities due to the complexity of knowledge that is required to be brought together to support the product design decision-making process. The proposed approach adopts best practices from previous ontology development methods, but focuses on encouraging modular architectural ontology design. The framework is comprised of three phases namely: (1) Ontology design and development; (2) Ontology validation and (3) Implementation of ontology structure. A qualitative research methodology is employed which is composed of four phases. The first phase defines the capture of knowledge required for the framework development, followed by the ontology framework development, iterative refinement of engineering ontologies and ontology validation through case studies and experts’ opinion. The ontology-based framework is applied in the combustor and casing aerospace engineering domain. The modular ontologies developed as a result of applying the framework and are used in a case study to restructure and improve the accessibility of information on a product design information-sharing platform. Additionally, domain experts within the aerospace industry validated the strengths, benefits and limitations of the framework. Due to the modular nature of the developed ontologies, they were also employed to support other project initiatives within the case study company such as role-based computing (RBC), IT modernisation activity and knowledge management implementation across the sponsoring organisation. The major benefit of this approach is in the reduction of man-hours required for maintaining engineering design ontologies. Furthermore, this approach strengthens reuse of ontology knowledge and encourages modularity in the design and development of engineering ontologies

Ontology (Science)

Increasingly, in data-intensive areas of the life sciences, experimental results are being described in algorithmically useful ways with the help of ontologies. Such ontologies are authored and maintained by scientists to support the retrieval, integration and analysis of their data. The proposition to be defended here is that ontologies of this type – the Gene Ontology (GO) being the most conspicuous example – are a _part of science_. Initial evidence for the truth of this proposition (which some will find self-evident) is the increasing recognition of the importance of empirically-based methods of evaluation to the ontology develop¬ment work being undertaken in support of scientific research. Ontologies created by scientists must, of course, be associated with implementations satisfying the requirements of software engineering. But the ontologies are not themselves engineering artifacts, and to conceive them as such brings grievous consequences. Rather, ontologies such as the GO are in different respects comparable to scientific theories, to scientific databases, and to scientific journal publications. Such a view implies a new conception of what is involved in the author¬ing, maintenance and application of ontologies in scientific contexts, and therewith also a new approach to the evaluation of ontologies and to the training of ontologists

Semantic web technology to support learning about the semantic web

This paper describes ASPL, an Advanced Semantic Platform for Learning, designed using the Magpie framework with an aim to support students learning about the Semantic Web research area. We describe the evolution of ASPL and illustrate how we used the results from a formal evaluation of the initial system to re-design the user functionalities. The second version of ASPL semantically interprets the results provided by a non-semantic web mining tool and uses them to support various forms of semantics-assisted exploration, based on pedagogical strategies such as performing later reasoning steps and problem space filtering

Smart labs and social practice: social tools for pervasive laboratory workspaces: a position paper

The emergence of pervasive and ubiquitous computing stimulates a view of future work environments where sharing of information, data and knowledge is easy and commonplace, particularly in highly interactive settings. Much of the work in this area focuses on tool development to support activities such as data collection, data recording and sharing, and so on. We are interested in this kind of technical development, which is both challenging and essential for science communities. But we are also interested in a broader interpretation of knowledge sharing and the human/social side of tools we develop to support this. We are keen to know more about how groups of different kinds of scientists can make their work understandable and shareable with each other in a multidisciplinary setting. This is a complex task because boundaries and barriers can emerge between disciplines engendered by differences in discourses and practices, which may not easily translate into other discipline areas. In the worst case, there may be some hostility between disciplines, or at least doubt and scepticism. Nevertheless, sharing approaches to research, research expertise, data and methods across disciplines can be a very fruitful exercise, and encouragement to engage in this activity is particularly pertinent in the digital era. Issues of privacy and security are also key aspects – knowing when and how to release data or information to other groups is crucial to providing a safe environment for people to work, and there are several sensitivities to be explored here. In this paper we describe an evolving situation that captures many of these issues, which we aim to track longitudinally

Methodology for The Development of an Ontology Network on The Brazilian National System for the Evaluation of higher Education (OntoSINAES)

Ontologies occupy a central position in any conceptual model of the Semantic Web, aiming fundamentally to add explicit semantics to the contents available in the Web. In the domain of Brazilian higher education, especially with regard to the National System for the Evaluation of Higher Education (SINAES), still lacks a reference ontology that can provide a basic conceptualization common to the different stakeholders of the domain. In this work we discuss the role of an ontology network developed with the purpose of improving the quality of the data produced by the different actors, institutions and systems within the domain of SINAES, in addition to facilitating their publication as open and connected data. In particular, we highlight the importance of the NeOn methodology to be followed during the development of an ontology network, demonstrating its role in defining the life cycle and in the articulation of the various processes and activities in the OntoSINAES ontological network development process

Skills and Knowledge for Data-Intensive Environmental Research.

The scale and magnitude of complex and pressing environmental issues lend urgency to the need for integrative and reproducible analysis and synthesis, facilitated by data-intensive research approaches. However, the recent pace of technological change has been such that appropriate skills to accomplish data-intensive research are lacking among environmental scientists, who more than ever need greater access to training and mentorship in computational skills. Here, we provide a roadmap for raising data competencies of current and next-generation environmental researchers by describing the concepts and skills needed for effectively engaging with the heterogeneous, distributed, and rapidly growing volumes of available data. We articulate five key skills: (1) data management and processing, (2) analysis, (3) software skills for science, (4) visualization, and (5) communication methods for collaboration and dissemination. We provide an overview of the current suite of training initiatives available to environmental scientists and models for closing the skill-transfer gap

An energy saving solution applied to the final use of electrical and lighting systems of school buildings managed by Perugia Province

In this paper, a study and design of energy conservation actions and the obtention of Energy Efficiency Titles, according to the Italian Ministerial Decree 20th July 2004, applied to lighting and electrical systems in a school district managed by Perugia Province (Italy), is presented. Specifically, the analysis regarded the replacement of neon lamps with high efficiency ones, and the power factor correction of the electrical system with a lower value. The work was carried out through an energy audit of some school buildings. From the results of this energy audit, project solutions were developed and a technical and economical feasibility study was made. This study was then extended to the whole school building fleet managed by Perugia Province. The results of this work were validated by a commercial feasibility assessment through an ESCo

Conceptualizing the e-Learning Assessment Domain using an Ontology Network

During the last year, approaches that use ontologies, the backbone of the Semantic Web technologies, for different purposes in the assessment domain of e-Learning have emerged. One of these purposes is the use of ontologies as a mean of providing a structure to guide the automated design of assessments. The most of the approaches that deal with this problem have proposed individual ontologies that model only a part of the assessment domain. The main contribution of this paper is an ontology network, called AONet, that conceptualizes the e-assessment domain with the aim of supporting the semi-automatic generation of it. The main advantage of this network is that it is enriched with rules for considering not only technical aspects of an assessment but also pedagogic

Pedagogically-driven Ontology Network for Conceptualizing the e-Learning Assessment Domain

The use of ontologies as tools to guide the generation, organization and personalization of e-learning content, including e-assessment, has drawn attention of the researchers because ontologies can represent the knowledge of a given domain and researchers use the ontology to reason about it. Although the use of these semantic technologies tends to enhance technology-based educational processes, the lack of validation to improve the quality of learning in their use makes the educator feel reluctant to use them. This paper presents progress in the development of an ontology network, called AONet, that conceptualizes the e-assessment domain with the aim of supporting the semi-automatic generation of assessment, taking into account not only technical aspects but also pedagogical ones.Fil: Romero, Lucila. Universidad Nacional del Litoral; ArgentinaFil: North, Matthew. The college of Idabo; Estados UnidosFil: Gutierrez, Milagros. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional Santa Fe. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo de Ingeniería en Sistemas de Información; ArgentinaFil: Caliusco, Maria Laura. Universidad Tecnológica Nacional. Facultad Regional Santa Fe. Centro de Investigación y Desarrollo de Ingeniería en Sistemas de Información; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Santa Fe; Argentin

Signs of the times

This research project endeavors to apply current museum education theory and practice to existing museum education programming, specifically at the Neon Museum in Las Vegas, Nevada. As today’s museums are considered leisure-time activities and compete with a host of other leisure and tourist attractions for visitors’ discretionary time and income, the development of enjoyable, effective, and memorable museum experiences is crucial to the survival of these traditional institutions. Based on these ideas, this project seeks to incorporate new theories of learning and methods for educating the public into the Neon Museum’s development of successful educational programming, including active engagement with the material, as well as the tailoring of method and content based on visitor’s unique needs. Adopting the predominant philosophy of the field, constructivist learning theory, this project argues that individual meaning making of an exhibit’s materials occurs through personal connections with presented materials. In constructivism, prior knowledge of themes related to the exhibit content is key to promoting internalization of information and, ultimately, learning. An exploration of existing museum education literature thus guides research into visitor satisfaction at the Neon Museum, as well as potential for improvement. This assessment informs this project’s modification of existing programming by connecting changes in sign design to developments in transportation technologies. Highlighting a more comprehensive, general theme to which a variety of visitors can relate and connect new concepts, a succinct exhibit brief complete with researcher recommendations presents an outline for a potential new program at the Neon Museum in accordance with these current educational theories and practices