Formal description of conceptual relationship with a view to implementing them in the ontology editor Protége

In this article we present a catalogue of conceptual relationships in which each relationship is defined formally in terms of its properties and the nature of the conceptual classes involved. By making explicit the conceptual relationships of the catalogue using the standard ontology editor Protégé we should be able to retrieve conceptual knowledge in an onomasiological way using the Queries function of the editor. In the final part of the article we present a sample query taken from the analysis of the terminology of finished ceramic products in order to show how information about relationships can be retrieved

Semantic Service Integration & Metropolitan Medical Network

A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Indiana University by Nikeshbhai Patel in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science, August 2005Medical health partners use heterogeneous data formats, legacy software and strictly licensed vocabularies which make it hard to integrate their data and work. Integration of services and data are the two main necessities. The current architecture used provides partial solution by providing one-to-one mapping wrappers. This thesis provides discussion on difficulties encountered by the coexistence of so many medical vocabularies and efforts to provide interoperation. Also other problems are listed which hinders the interoperation between health partners. Solution is proposed for some of these problems by forming semantic network based on multi-agent technology. Service composition and integration stages are shown to develop future advance health services. Middle layer is implemented which performs integration and provides common platform for sharing information, using global ontology and local domain ontology. Inferencebased matchmaking algorithm proposed in this thesis helps in mapping and achieving our goal. Six different filtering techniques are selected and used in matchmaking algorithm. Analysis of these filtering techniques is provided to understand the integration process. In the ending section an abstract idea is proposed on basis of network architecture and matchmaking algorithm to develop Open Terminological System

Multi-attribute decision making with weighted description logics

We introduce a decision-theoretic framework based on Description Logics (DLs), which can be used to encode and solve single stage multi-attribute decision problems. In particular, we consider the background knowledge as a DL knowledge base where each attribute is represented by a concept, weighted by a utility value which is asserted by the user. This yields a compact representation of preferences over attributes. Moreover, we represent choices as knowledge base individuals, and induce a ranking via the aggregation of attributes that they satisfy. We discuss the benefits of the approach from a decision theory point of view. Furthermore, we introduce an implementation of the framework as a Protégé plugin called uDecide. The plugin takes as input an ontology as background knowledge, and returns the choices consistent with the user’s (the knowledge base) preferences. We describe a use case with data from DBpedia. We also provide empirical results for its performance in the size of the ontology using the reasoner Konclude

Framing Terminology: A Process-Oriented Approach

The frame notion used in Frame Semantics can be traced to case frames, which were said to characterize a small abstract situation in such a way that if one wished to understand the semantic structure of a verb it was necessary to understand the properties of the entire scene that it activated. A frame has been more broadly defined as any system of concepts related in such a way that one concept evokes the entire system. In this sense, it bears an obvious affinity with terminology, which is also based on such conceptual organization. However, despite the fact that Frame Semantics has been usefully applied to lexicology and syntax, so far it has not been systematically applied to terminology.This paper argues for a frame-based organization of specialized fields in which a dynamic process-oriented frame provides the conceptual underpinnings for the location of sub-hierarchies of concepts within a specialized domain event, and the elaboration of a definition template, thus opening the door to a more adequate representation of specialized fields as well as supplying a better way of linking terms to concepts. The domain of coastal engineering is used as an example because the entities in play take part in processes that are difficult to describe only by means of conceptual trees. Through the use of corpus data we demonstrate how it is possible to represent such an event and create a dynamic frame which enriches and enhances the understanding of specialized field concepts.La notion de schéma utilisée dans la Sémantique des schémas est dérivée des grammaires des cas, qui étaient censées caractériser une petite situation abstraite de telle sorte que, si on souhaitait comprendre la structure sémantique d’un verbe, il était nécessaire de comprendre les propriétés de la scène entière qu’il activait. Un schéma a été défini plus amplement comme tout système de concepts mis en rapport de telle sorte qu’un concept évoque le système entier. Dans ce sens, il a une affinité évidente avec la terminologie, qui est également basée sur cette organisation conceptuelle. Néanmoins, bien que la Sémantique des schémas ait été appliquée à la lexicologie et à la syntaxe, jusqu’ici elle n’a pas été systématiquement appliquée à la terminologie.Ce document présente des arguments en faveur d’une organisation de domaines spécialisés s’appuyant sur des schémas, où un schéma dynamique et orienté sur les processus fournit le soutien conceptuel pour la localisation de sous-hiérarchies de concepts dans un événement de domaine spécialisé; l’élaboration d’un modèle de définition, permettant une représentation plus appropriée des domaines spécialisés et fournissant une meilleure façon de lier les termes avec les concepts. Le domaine de l’ingénierie côtière est utilisé comme exemple parce que les entités en jeu participent dans des processus qui sont difficiles à décrire au seul moyen des arbres conceptuels. Par l’utilisation des données de corpus nous démontrons comment il est possible de représenter cet événement et de créer un cadre dynamique qui enrichit et améliore le sens de la compréhension des concepts des domaines spécialisés

Knowledge Organization and Terminology: application to Cork

This PhD thesis aims to prove the relevance of texts within the conceptual strand of terminological work. Our methodology serves to demonstrate how linguists can infer knowledge information from texts and subsequently systematise it, either through semiformal or formal representations. We mainly focus on the terminological analysis of specialised corpora resorting to semi-automatic tools for text analysis to systematise lexical-semantic relationships observed in specialised discourse context and subsequent modelling of the underlying conceptual system. The ultimate goal of this methodology is to propose a typology that can help lexicographers to write definitions. Based on the double dimension of Terminology, we hypothesise that text and logic modelling do not go hand in hand since the latter does not directly relate to the former. We highlight that knowledge and language are crucial for knowledge systematisation, albeit keeping in mind that they pertain to different levels of analysis, for they are not isomorphic. To meet our goals, we resorted to specialised texts produced within the industry of cork. These texts provide us with a test bed made of knowledge-rich data which enable us to demonstrate our deductive mechanisms employing the Aristotelian formula: X=Y+DC through the linguistic and conceptual analysis of the semi-automatically extracted textual data. To explore the corpus, we resorted to text mining strategies where regular expressions play a central role. The final goal of this study is to create a terminological resource for the cork industry, where two types of resources interlink, namely the CorkCorpus and the OntoCork. TermCork is a project that stems from the organisation of knowledge in the specialised field of cork. For that purpose, a terminological knowledge database is being developed to feed an e-dictionary. This e-dictionary is designed as a multilingual and multimodal product, where several resources, namely linguistic and conceptual ones are paired. OntoCork is a micro domain-ontology where the concepts are enriched with natural language definitions and complemented with images, either annotated with metainformation or enriched with hyperlinks to additional information, such as a lexicographic resource. This type of e-dictionary embodies what we consider a useful terminological tool in the current digital information society: accounting for its main features, along with an electronic format that can be integrated into the Semantic Web due to its interoperability data format. This aspect emphasises its contribution to reduce ambiguity as much as possible and to increase effective communication between experts of the domain, future experts, and language professionals.Cette thèse vise à prouver la pertinence des textes dans le volet conceptuel du travail terminologique. Notre méthodologie sert à démontrer comment les linguistes peuvent déduire des informations de connaissance à partir de textes et les systématiser par la suite, soit à travers des représentations semi-formelles ou formelles. Nous nous concentrons principalement sur l'analyse terminologique de corpus spécialisé faisant appel à des outils semi-automatiques d'analyse de texte pour systématiser les relations lexico-sémantiques observées dans un contexte de discours spécialisé et la modélisation ultérieure du système conceptuel sous-jacent. L’objectif de cette méthodologie est de proposer une typologie qui peut aider les lexicographes à rédiger des définitions. Sur la base de la double dimension de la terminologie, nous émettons l'hypothèse que la modélisation textuelle et logique ne va pas de pair puisque cette dernière n'est pas directement liée à la première. Nous soulignons que la connaissance et le langage sont essentiels pour la systématisation des connaissances, tout en gardant à l'esprit qu'ils appartiennent à différents niveaux d'analyse, car ils ne sont pas isomorphes. Pour atteindre nos objectifs, nous avons eu recours à des textes spécialisés produits dans l'industrie du liège. Ces textes nous fournissent un banc d'essai constitué de données riches en connaissances qui nous permettent de démontrer nos mécanismes déductifs utilisant la formule aristotélicienne : X = Y + DC à travers l'analyse linguistique et conceptuelle des données textuelles extraites semi-automatiquement. Pour l'exploitation du corpus, nous avons recours à des stratégies de text mining où les expressions régulières jouent un rôle central. Le but de cette étude est de créer une ressource terminologique pour l'industrie du liège, où deux types de ressources sont liés, à savoir le CorkCorpus et l'OntoCork. TermCork est un projet qui découle de l'organisation des connaissances dans le domaine spécialisé du liège. À cette fin, une base de données de connaissances terminologiques est en cours de développement pour alimenter un dictionnaire électronique. Cet edictionnaire est conçu comme un produit multilingue et multimodal, où plusieurs ressources, à savoir linguistiques et conceptuelles, sont jumelées. OntoCork est une micro-ontologie de domaine où les concepts sont enrichis de définitions de langage naturel et complétés par des images, annotées avec des méta-informations ou enrichies d'hyperliens vers des informations supplémentaires. Ce type de dictionnaire électronique désigne ce que nous considérons comme un outil terminologique utile dans la société de l'information numérique actuelle : la prise en compte de ses principales caractéristiques, ainsi qu'un format électronique qui peut être intégré dans le Web sémantique en raison de son format de données d'interopérabilité. Cet aspect met l'accent sur sa contribution à réduire autant que possible l'ambiguïté et à accroître l'efficacité de la communication entre les experts du domaine, les futurs experts et les professionnels de la langue

Towards Interoperability in E-health Systems: a three-dimensional approach based on standards and semantics

Proceedings of: HEALTHINF 2009 (International Conference on Helath Informatics), Porto (Portugal), January 14-17, 2009, is part of BIOSTEC (Intemational Joint Conference on Biomedical Engineering Systems and Technologies)The interoperability problem in eHealth can only be addressed by mean of combining standards and technology. However, these alone do not suffice. An appropiate framework that articulates such combination is required. In this paper, we adopt a three-dimensional (information, conference and inference) approach for such framework, based on OWL as formal language for terminological and ontological health resources, SNOMED CT as lexical backbone for all such resources, and the standard CEN 13606 for representing EHRs. Based on tha framewok, we propose a novel form for creating and supporting networks of clinical terminologies. Additionally, we propose a number of software modules to semantically process and exploit EHRs, including NLP-based search and inference, wich can support medical applications in heterogeneous and distributed eHealth systems.This work has been funded as part of the Spanish nationally funded projects ISSE (FIT-350300-2007-75) and CISEP (FIT-350301-2007-18). We also acknowledge IST-2005-027595 EU project NeO

Formal representation of complex SNOMED CT expressions

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Definitory expressions about clinical procedures, findings and diseases constitute a major benefit of a formally founded clinical reference terminology which is ontologically sound and suited for formal reasoning. SNOMED CT claims to support formal reasoning by description-logic based concept definitions.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>On the basis of formal ontology criteria we analyze complex SNOMED CT concepts, such as "Concussion of Brain with(out) Loss of Consciousness", using alternatively full first order logics and the description logic <inline-formula><m:math xmlns:m="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" name="1472-6947-8-S1-S9-i1"><m:semantics><m:mrow><m:mi>ℰ</m:mi><m:mi>ℒ</m:mi></m:mrow><m:annotation encoding="MathType-MTEF"> MathType@MTEF@5@5@+=feaagaart1ev2aaatCvAUfKttLearuWrP9MDH5MBPbIqV92AaeXatLxBI9gBaebbnrfifHhDYfgasaacPC6xNi=xH8viVGI8Gi=hEeeu0xXdbba9frFj0xb9qqpG0dXdb9aspeI8k8fiI+fsY=rqGqVepae9pg0db9vqaiVgFr0xfr=xfr=xc9adbaqaaeGaciGaaiaabeqaaeqabiWaaaGcbaWenfgDOvwBHrxAJfwnHbqeg0uy0HwzTfgDPnwy1aaceaGae8hmHuKae8NeHWeaaa@37B1@</m:annotation></m:semantics></m:math></inline-formula>.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Typical complex SNOMED CT concepts, including negations or not, can be expressed in full first-order logics. Negations cannot be properly expressed in the description logic <inline-formula><m:math xmlns:m="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" name="1472-6947-8-S1-S9-i1"><m:semantics><m:mrow><m:mi>ℰ</m:mi><m:mi>ℒ</m:mi></m:mrow><m:annotation encoding="MathType-MTEF"> MathType@MTEF@5@5@+=feaagaart1ev2aaatCvAUfKttLearuWrP9MDH5MBPbIqV92AaeXatLxBI9gBaebbnrfifHhDYfgasaacPC6xNi=xH8viVGI8Gi=hEeeu0xXdbba9frFj0xb9qqpG0dXdb9aspeI8k8fiI+fsY=rqGqVepae9pg0db9vqaiVgFr0xfr=xfr=xc9adbaqaaeGaciGaaiaabeqaaeqabiWaaaGcbaWenfgDOvwBHrxAJfwnHbqeg0uy0HwzTfgDPnwy1aaceaGae8hmHuKae8NeHWeaaa@37B1@</m:annotation></m:semantics></m:math></inline-formula> underlying SNOMED CT. All concepts concepts the meaning of which implies a temporal scope may be subject to diverging interpretations, which are often unclear in SNOMED CT as their contextual determinants are not made explicit.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The description of complex medical occurrents is ambiguous, as the same situations can be described as (i) a complex occurrent <it>C </it>that has <it>A </it>and <it>B </it>as temporal parts, (ii) a simple occurrent <it>A' </it>defined as a kind of A followed by some <it>B</it>, or (iii) a simple occurrent <it>B' </it>defined as a kind of <it>B </it>preceded by some <it>A</it>. As negative statements in SNOMED CT cannot be exactly represented without a (computationally costly) extension of the set of logical constructors, a solution can be the reification of negative statments (e.g., "Period with no Loss of Consciousness"), or the use of the SNOMED CT context model. However, the interpretation of SNOMED CT context model concepts as description logics axioms is not recommended, because this may entail unintended models.</p

An Introduction to Ontologies and Ontology Engineering

In the last decades, the use of ontologies in information systems has become more and more popular in various fields, such as web technologies, database integration, multi agent systems, natural language processing, etc. Artificial intelligent researchers have initially borrowed the word “ontology” from Philosophy, then the word spread in many scientific domain and ontologies are now used in several developments. The main goal of this chapter is to answer generic questions about ontologies, such as: Which are the different kinds of ontologies? What is the purpose of the use of ontologies in an application? Which methods can I use to build an ontology

Une approche d'ontologie pour la modélisation des connaissances et l’interrogation des capteurs de réseaux sans fil

International audienceWireless sensor networks (WSNs) generate large volumes of raw data which increases the difficulty for applications to manage and query sensor data. WSNs are normally application specific with no sharing or reusability of sensor data among applications. In order for applications to be developed independently of particular WSNs, sensor data need to be enriched with semantic information. Ontologies are widely used as a means for solving the information heterogeneity problems because of their capability to provide explicit meaning to the information. This paper presents our work towards the development of a wireless sensor network ontology. Based on the proposed ontology we use the SPARQL query language to enable querying of sensor data. We present the description of the development of the proposed ontology, partial evaluation of the early prototype ontology, a discussion of design and implementation issues, and directions for future research works.Les réseaux de capteurs sans fil (WSN) génèrent de gros volumes de données brutes, ce qui complique la gestion et l'interrogation des données des capteurs par les applications. Les WSN sont normalement spécifiques à une application, sans partage ni possibilité de réutilisation des données de capteur entre les applications. Pour que les applications puissent être développées indépendamment de certains WSN, les données des capteurs doivent être enrichies d'informations sémantiques. Les ontologies sont largement utilisées pour résoudre les problèmes d'hétérogénéité de l'information en raison de leur capacité à donner un sens explicite à l'information. Cet article présente nos travaux en vue du développement d’une ontologie de réseau de capteurs sans fil. Sur la base de l'ontologie proposée, nous utilisons le langage de requête SPARQL pour permettre l'interrogation des données du capteur. Nous présentons la description du développement de l'ontologie proposée, une évaluation partielle de l'ontologie du prototype initial, une discussion des problèmes de conception et de mise en œuvre et des orientations pour les travaux de recherche futurs