Edu:ESAO

Educational Series on Applied Ontology (ESAO)

IAOA is currently setting up a new educational effort under the name Educational Series on Applied Ontology (ESAO) that shall be suited for learning about topics of Applied Ontology, primarily established basics and foundations. The series is inspired by the Interdisciplinary Schools on Applied Ontology (ISAO), but - in times of the Corona pandemic - it is complementary in format and its overall approach.

ESAO is being planned as a long-term effort. It was prominently started with a launch event in hybrid format on Sep 10, 2021 (Fri), preceding FOIS 2021 (Sep 13-16) in Bozen-Bolzano, Italy. Likewise the ESAO Launch Day was part of the second Bolzano Summer of Knowledge (BoSK 2021).

Key Idea

The key idea of ESAO is a combination of (1) an archive of educational material and (2) a webinar series for presentation and exchange on that material.

For (1), we aim at creating an archive of short (10-20 min), self-contained units of educational material (videos, web-, screen- and podcasts, a.o.) that is available to be streamed on demand. Any such unit can originate from recording a live session, but likewise it can be produced in any other suitable way. The purpose is the material as such and making it accessible.

Concerning (2), an accompanying webinar series shall present the material and allow for personal interaction about its topics in a variety of formats, e.g. as live presentation with subsequent discussion, as question and answer sessions or panel discussions on a few units together for further digestion (then expected to have been “consumed” already), as well as further formats may be proposed.

We look forward to everyone interested and invite you to join the webinars!

3rd ESAO Webinar on Sep 20, 2022

September 2022 brings about the third of the regular webinar sessions.

When and how to connect

• Tuesday   Sep 20, 2022     07:00 PDT  /  10:00 EDT  /  14:00 UTC  /  15:00 BST  /  16:00 CEST/SAST  /  22:00 CST  /  23:00 JST     (more local times)
• Duration:   01:00 hour
• Video conference (via Zoom)
  • URL: https://univ-tlse2.zoom.us/j/93738897633?pwd=R1k4bVdqSHA1ZEpXT2lkcXZyZWNyUT09
  • Meeting ID: 937 3889 7633     Passcode: 837126
  • Telephone: see local numbers at https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kd3SqdIOZl
• No registration required!   In Zoom, we appreciate if you use your real name.

Program

• 10:00 EDT / 16:00 CEST

Torsten Hahmann,   School of Computing and Information Science, University of Maine

Where am I? Spatial knowledge in ontologies

Abstract: Many of the things we describe in ontologies are objects or processes located in physical space. Examples of questions with a location or other spatial component include: Where is the start of the trail? What is the address I need to go to? Where again did I put my keys? How large is the property? Where is the conference happening? Where did you see the whale? To capture such spatial information, ontologies provide a variety of mechanism that range from vague, qualitative descriptions (e.g. "after the bridge", "on my desk", "in the Gulf of Maine"), to more precise locations ("947 Broadway", "Sherbrooke (QC)") or even quantitative description ("1km East from here", "400 sq m"). This talk will take the listener through different ways that are available to describe space and locations that range from concepts provided by top-level ontologies to more specialized spatial and geospatial ontologies for the Semantic Web.

• 10:30 EDT / 16:30 CEST

Janna Hastings,   School of Medicine, University of St. Gallen, and the Institute for Implementation Science in Health Care, University of Zurich

The role of ontologies in data science in support of discovery research

Abstract: Data science encompasses a wide range of methods which aim to interpret and extract meaning, and new knowledge, from data. For data-driven discovery research, the quality and suitability of the statistical approaches are usually the focus of efforts to derive new knowledge, while ontologies are assumed to be relevant mainly for purposes of standardisation and exchange of existing knowledge, i.e. subsequent to the discovery process. In this presentation, I will discuss the role of ontologies and other pre-existing formal representations of knowledge in the science of making new discoveries from data, why this role is often overlooked, and how this might change as the science of the future becomes better integrated between humans and machines. I will illustrate with some examples taken from different domains: metabolism and behaviour.

2nd ESAO Webinar on Jul 19, 2022

July 2022 brings about the second of the regular webinar sessions.

When and how to connect

• Tuesday   Jul 19, 2022     07:00 PDT  /  10:00 EDT  /  14:00 UTC  /  15:00 BST  /  16:00 CEST/SAST  /  22:00 CST  /  23:00 JST     (more local times)
• Duration:   01:00 hour
• Video conference (via Zoom)
  • URL: https://univ-tlse2.zoom.us/j/97358232667?pwd=V0k0NWZ1dEd1eEJJVUE4eGJMVGhHdz09
  • Meeting ID: 973 5823 2667     Passcode: 554951
  • Telephone: see local numbers at https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kd3SqdIOZl
• No registration required!   In Zoom, we appreciate if you use your real name.

Program

• 10:00 EDT / 16:00 CEST

Roberta Ferrario,   Institute for Cognitive Sciences and Technologies of the CNR (ISTC-CNR), Laboratory for Applied Ontology (LOA), Trento, Italy

The theory of variable embodiment and the modeling of organisational change

Abstract: How can organisations survive not only the substitution of members, but also other dramatic changes, like that of the norms regulating their activities, the goals they plan to achieve, or the system of roles that compose them? These are some of the classical questions an ontology of organisations should be able to answer. I will briefly present Kit Fine’s notions of rigid and variable embodiment and propose an integration aimed at addressing the issue of re-identification of organisations through change.

• 10:30 EDT / 16:30 CEST

Paweł Garbacz,   John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Poland

Applied ontologies as evolving artefacts. Why and how should you take care of managing ontology development?

Abstract: If you think of an applied ontology as a dynamic informational artefact that is being developed over time, then you might want to consider a framework which would allow you to track the history of its lifecycle, test the changes it undergoes, and control its quality. These challenges are similar to challenges faced in bog-standard software development. In my presentation, I will show how the well-known software tools, including Continuous Integration platforms, version control systems, testing platforms, and review workflows, may address these challenges.

1st ESAO Webinar on Nov 9, 2021

After the ESAO Launch Day, the first of the regular webinar sessions is held on November 9th.

Program

• 11:00 EST / 17:00 CET

Adrien Barton,   Institut de Recherche en Informatique de Toulouse (IRIT) - CNRS, France

Ontological realism: A philosophical overview

Abstract: Some applied ontologies explicitly adhere to a position named “ontological realism”. In this presentation, I will locate “ontological realism” within the landscape of the various forms of realism that have been proposed in metaphysics and philosophy of science, among which there are Platonic realism, Aristotelian realism, scientific realism, entity realism and structural realism.

Slides: PDF (ca. 3.3 MB) [tentative link]

• 11:30 EST / 17:30 CET

Lars Vogt,   Leibniz Information Center for Science & Technology (TIB), Germany

Boundaries and natural units

Abstract: I will present the concept of bona fide and fiat boundaries and review the problems involved with this approach for demarcating natural units, with examples from the life sciences, focussing on issues revolving around granularity and frames of reference. I will then introduce an alternative approach that focusses on the concept of causal unity.

Slides: PDF (ca. 6.3 MB) [tentative link]

Feedback

• mini survey: Google Form (4 questions)     open until Wed, Nov 10 (anywhere)

ESAO Launch Day on Sep 10, 2021

The new series was launched with an agglomeration of webinar sessions, most of which demonstrate the intended format of short tutorials followed by discussion. This was bordered by a short introduction and a bar camp session at the end.

While information on the Launch Day will be archived in this wiki at a later point, for the time being there is an ESAO Launch Day website that offers detailed information at the state of Sep 10, 2021. If you are interested, please move on to https://esao2021.inf.unibz.it/.

As of November 2021, we continue to work on archiving the Launch Day sessions and making them accessible through this wiki. Please stay tuned and return here in a few weeks.