[topicmapmail] Identities and names (WAS - A somewhat new topic maps format)
Daniel Rivers-Moore
Daniel.Rivers-Moore@rivcom.com
Thu, 7 Aug 2003 13:25:48 +0100
Bernard
In response to your main message - yes, very important.
In response to your PS2 - you say "Or maybe the other way round ??"
I would say definitely the other way round.
"Bunzilla" is the (or a) name of Murray's rabbit
"Bunzilla" is also the (or a) name of Peter's rabbit
"http://www.altheim.com/bunny/#bid0537" is what the name "Bunzilla" is
called in the scope of Murray's topic map of bunny names and the subject
indicator formalism.
"X is called 'A'" is synonymous with "'A' is a name of X"
So you can also say
"http://www.altheim.com/bunny/#bid0537" is a name of the name
"Bunzilla".
Strictly, we know that in Topic Map terminology,
"http://www.altheim.com/bunny/#bid0537" is the subject indicator for the
topic whose subject is the name "Bunzilla".=20
But in ordinary language, a name serves precisely the function that a
subject indicator does in the topic maps formalism - it indicates to the
hearer/reader what subject is being spoken of. A topic maps subject
indicator is therefore a particular kind of name. There are of course
other kinds of name within the topic maps formalism - IDs, XTM
baseNames, ISO13250 display names and sort names, etc., and it would
therefore also be true to say that "bid0537" is a name of the name
"Bunzilla", and is *the* name of the name "Bunzilla" in the scope of
Murray's topic map of bunny names and the ID formalism.
Daniel
-----Original Message-----
From: Bernard Vatant [mailto:bernard.vatant@mondeca.com]=20
Sent: 07 August 2003 12:04
To: Murray Altheim; Peter P. Jones
Cc: Topic Map List
Subject: RE: [topicmapmail] A somewhat new topic maps format
Murray
"The question of identity within ontologies is a very complicated and
difficult subject."
Sure it is, but a crucial one, and only a part of the more general issue
:
how to figure out now interoperability between the various ways that
have
been developed in so many domains for identification purpose.
- subjects in topic maps (published or not)
- classes and individuals in ontologies
- resources in RDF
- descriptors in Thesaurus
- concepts in CG
- ...
... without, of course developing yet another "more-meta-than-you"
specification ...
I was thinking those days about some kind of "Semantic Interoperability
&
Identification" forum to gather folks interested in exploring that heady
stuff ... Volunteers?
Bernard
PS1 : Thanks for the very interesing paper by Guarino.
PS2, for Peter :
"Bunzilla" is what the Name of your rabbit *is called*
The name itself *is* http://www.altheim.com/bunny/#bid0537
Or maybe the other way round ??
> -----Message d'origine-----
> De : topicmapmail-admin@infoloom.com
> [mailto:topicmapmail-admin@infoloom.com]De la part de Murray Altheim
> Envoye : mercredi 6 aout 2003 21:43
> A : Peter P. Jones
> Cc : Topic Map List
> Objet : Re: [topicmapmail] A somewhat new topic maps format
>
>
> Peter P. Jones wrote:
> > But how do I distinguish my pet Bunzilla from your pet Bunzilla?
>
> It's only the Comprehensive Bunny *Name* List, not the Comprehensive
> Bunny List. You could use geospatial data to locate your bunny in
space
> and time as distinct from mine (because if they're in the same
location
> they're likely breeding, and
> wehaveenoughrabbitsaroundherealreadythankyou).
>
> Since Topic Maps provide a scoping feature, you could scope your
> Bunzilla's name by some namespace you control, create some form of
> unique identifier, etc. The question of identity within ontologies
> is a very complicated and difficult subject. If you're interested,
> check out:
>
> "Identity & Subsumption", Nicola Guarino, Christopher Welty.
>
> http://www.ladseb.pd.cnr.it/infor/ontology/Papers/Identity&Subsum
> ption.pdf
>
> "A Formal Ontology of Properties", Nicola Guarino, Christopher
Welty.
>
http://www.cs.vassar.edu/faculty/welty/papers/ekaw2000/ekaw2000.pdf
>
> > On 6 Aug 2003 at 16:39, Murray Altheim wrote:
> >
> >
> >>I've also done something similar. I've developed a version of XTM
> >>tailored for the Comprehensive Bunny Name List called CBNLXTM, which
> >>takes that "heck no, I won't interchange" approach in creating a
> >>syntax that nobody else but me will use. It's easier to validate
since
> >>it has fewer elements (you can use topics instead of associations,
> >>though they have different semantics), the documents are shorter
since
> >>all element names are only one or two characters long, and it also
> >>looks a bit like RDF (as it's quite unreadable), since that's very
> >>popular right now. And it doesn't rely on software at all for its
> >>success (given that its target audience is rabbits, who rarely turn
on
> >>a computer).
> >>
> >>See:
> >>
> >> http://www.altheim.com/bunny/
> >> http://www.altheim.com/bunny/cbnlxtm1.dtd
>
> Murray
>
> .................................................................
> ..........
> Murray Altheim
http://kmi.open.ac.uk/people/murray/
Knowledge Media Institute
The Open University, Milton Keynes, Bucks, MK7 6AA, UK
.
"Shhh. Be vewy, vewy quiet. We're hunting wabbits." -- Elmer Fudd
"I don't know how close we are, closer than we were yesterday,
I guess. All I know is we're on the hunt." -- George W. Bush
BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3110615.stm
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