Towards the Information Artifact Ontology 2 Towards the Information Artifact Ontology 2.0 May 1, 2012 – CUBRC, Buffalo NY Werner CEUSTERS, MD Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics and Life Sciences, Ontology Research Group and Department of Psychiatry University at Buffalo, NY, USA http://www.org.buffalo.edu/RTU

Data generation and use organization model development observation & measurement further R&D (instrument and study optimization) Δ = outcome use add Generic beliefs verify application

A crucial distinction: data and what they are about organization First- Order Reality Representation “is about” ??? model development observation & measurement further R&D (instrument and study optimization) Δ = outcome use add Generic beliefs verify application

Information Artifact Ontology

Origin: (cleaned up) Ontology of Biomedical Investigations

Information Artifact Ontology def: an entity that is generically dependent on some artifact and stands in relation of aboutness to some entity

is about def: is_about is a (currently) primitive relation that relates an information artifact to an entity.

Another view on the subject Ceusters W, Manzoor S. How to track absolutely everything? In: Obrst L, Janssen T, Ceusters W (eds.) Ontologies and Semantic Technologies for the Intelligence Community. Frontiers in Artificial Intelligence and Applications. IOS Press Amsterdam, 2010;:13-36.

Two proposals for re-arrangement (1) “reparative”: Information Content Entity (ICE) Representational Artifact (RA) Representational Unit (RU) Denotator Term Composite Representation Data Collection Data Dictionary Terminology Ontology Realism-based Reference Ontology Application Ontology Assessment Instrument Ontology Data Item Measurement Datum Directive Information Entity Conditional Specification Rule Bridging Axiom Data Format Specification Plan Specification Assessment Instrument Ceusters W. An Information Artifact Ontology Perspective on Data Collections and Associated Representational Artifacts. Medical Informatics Europe Conference (MIE 2012), Pisa, Italy, August 26-29, 2012. (accepted for publication)

Purpose of the ‘reparative’ version

Definitions (reparative) (1) Term Definition Information Content Entity (ICE) an entity that is generically dependent on some artifact and stands in relation of aboutness to some portion of reality [4] Representational Artifact (RA) an ICE which is believed to represent a portion of reality external to the representation (modified from [5]) Representational Unit (RU) a RA which according to the structural conventions it is designed, is not built out of any other RAs Denotator a RU which denotes directly an entity without providing a description [6] a RU which is a general expression in some natural language used to refer to portions of reality (modified from [5]) Composite Representation a RA built out of constituent sub-representations as its parts (modified from [5]) Data Collection a composite representation built out of measurement data Data Dictionary a composite representation describing, inter alia, what data items in a data collection are about, including a data format specification Terminology a RA consisting of terms (modified from [5])

Definitions (reparative) (2) Ontology a RA comprising a taxonomy as proper part, whose RUs are intended to designate some combination of universals, defined classes, and certain relations between them [3] Realism-based an ontology built out of RUs which are intended to be exclusively about universals and certain relations between them, intended to mimic the structure of reality, and which correspond to that part of the content of a scientific theory that is captured by its constituent general terms and their interrelations [3] Reference Ontology an ontology intended to provide an informationally complete representation of a domain Application Ontology an ontology representing the portion of reality which is relevant for some purpose in some community Assessment Instrument Ontology an application ontology describing the portion of reality covered by an assessment instrument Data Collection an application ontology describing the portion of reality covered in a data collection Data Item a RA that is intended to be a truthful statement about something (modulo, e.g., measurement precision or other systematic errors) and is constructed/acquired by a method which reliably tends to produce (approximately) truthful statements (modified from [4]) Measurement Datum a data item that is a recording of the output of a measurement. [4]

Definitions (reparative) (3) Directive Information Entity an ICE whose concretizations indicate to their bearer how to realize them in a process [4] Conditional Specification a directive information entity that specifies what should happen if a trigger condition is fulfilled [4] Rule an executable conditional specification which guides, defines, or restricts actions [4] Bridging Axiom a rule specifying how a RA should be interpreted in terms of an application ontology Data Format Specification the information content borne by the document published defining the specification (modified from [4]) Plan Specification a directive information entity that when concretized is realized in a process in which the bearer tries to achieve the objectives, in part by taking the actions specified [4] Assessment Instrument a plan specification designed to compile data collections reliably, validly and reproducibly

Two proposals for re-arrangement (2) Expansive: Information Content Entity Descriptive Information Content Entity Representative Information Content Entity Designative Information Content Entity Deceptive Information Content Entity Directive Information Content Entity Hypothesis Information Content Entity Fiction Information Content Entity

Basis for both proposals: is_about is_about = def. An entity s is about an entity e if, and only if, s is a mental quality and s intends e , or there exists some mental quality m such that s is conformant to m , or s is the product of some process (e.g. in a bank’s computer) for producing SDCs deliberately designed (e.g. by the programmers of the bank’s computers) to be such that there could be some mental quality (e.g. of the brain of the bank’s auditor) which is conformant to s and s is such that there could be some mental quality m which is conformant to s and intends e .

Intends Intends is a primitive relation between a mental quality and an entity towards which it is directed. 'Entity' here includes both particulars and universals. ‘ A mental quality is a quality which specifically depends on an anatomical structure in the cognitive system of an organism. An intending mental quality is a mental quality which intends some entity. [this is not a definition, since ‘intends’ is not really providing any new information, it means ‘represents’ in the way in which ideas, words, represent entities] the intends relation is taken as being always veridical in the sense that only what exists can be intended; i.e. that we cannot intend, e.g., a unicorn. But we can have a phenomenologically indistinguishable experience that fails to intend.

Tracking evolution of representations and what they are about

is_conformant_to is_conformant_to = def. A specifically dependent continuant (SDC), s, is conformant to a mental quality m if, and only if, there is some generically dependent continuant (GDC) g such that s concretizes g and m concretizes g

Definitions (expansive approach) (1) Descriptive Information Content Entity =def. An information content entity that is concretized by some SDC which is of the type that can be treated as representative  (note: ‘can be treated as’ can be defined in terms of mental qualities and associated beliefs in their aboutness). Representative Information Content Entity =def. A descriptive information content entity that is concretized by some SDC that is produced by a reliable process for producing SDCs which are about what they are intended to be about. (note: the assumption is that we can elucidate the last phrase in terms of conformance; note that Representative ICEs are not necessarily about anything, e.g. because of errors) Designative Information Content Entity =def. A representative information content entity that is concretized by an SDC which picks out an entity uniquely and which is such that all conformant SDCs pick out this entity uniquely.

Definitions (expansive approach) (2) Deceptive Information Content Entity =def. A descriptive information content entity that … Directive Information Content Entity =def. A descriptive information content entity that is concretized by some specifically dependent continuant that indicates to their bearer how to realize them in a process.  Directive Information Content Entity =def. A GDC if concretized by an appropriately qualified agent, will yield in that agent a concretizing SDC (and associated mental quality?) which obligates (or something weaker, promotes, encourages …) the agent to act in accordance with what is specified in the GDC Hypothesis Information Content Entity =def. An information content entity that … Fiction Information Content Entity =def. An information content entity that …

Outstanding core issues BFO is about particulars; how to work now with RUs for universals and configurations A good theory about mental qualities How far to expand the hierarchy …