ConferenceCall 2011 03 17

= OntologySummit2011: Virtual Session-7 - "Perspectives from the European Commission" - Thu 2011_03_17 =

Summit Theme: OntologySummit2011: Making the Case for Ontology

Session Theme: Perspective from the European Commission

Session Chair: Dr. Nicola Guarino (ISTC-CNR)

Invited Speakers: Dr. Márta Nagy-Rothengass & Dr. Stefano Bertolo (INFSO-DG, European Commission)

Title: "Thoughts without content are empty, intuitions without concepts are blind but you must set priorities and budgets for what you want to look at (with an eye to the EU's Digital Agenda and apologies to Kant)"


 * Archives:
 * Background
 * Abstract
 * Agenda
 * slides
 * Audio recording of the session [ 2:03:02 ; mp3 ; 14.08 MB ]
 * Opening by NicolaGuarino: (recording time-point) 0:00:00
 * MartaNagyRothengass presentation starts - slide#1 - 0:01:19
 * StefanoBertolo presentation commences - slide#35 - 0:42:24
 * StefanoBertolo's Kantian analysis commences - slide#53 - 1:04:46 (in this segment, please add 1 to the slide numbers called out in the recording)
 * Q&A and Open Discussion begins - 1:44:02
 * End of session: (recording time-point) - 2:03:02
 * transcript of the online chat during the session
 * Additional Resources

Background:
OntologySummit2011 Theme: "Making the Case for Ontology"


 * Session Title: Perspective from the European Commission

This is our 6th Ontology Summit, a joint initiative by NIST, Ontolog, NCOR, NCBO, IAOA & NCO_NITRD. The theme adopted for this Ontology Summit is: "Making the Case for Ontology."

This year's Ontology Summit seeks to address the need to provide concrete evidence of successful deployment of ontologies by examining several application domains for such examples, and in better articulating where different "strengths" of ontological representation are best applied. To support that, the summit also aims to classify the categories of applications where ontology has been, and could be, successfully applied; to identify distinct types of metrics that might be used in evaluating the return on investment in an ontology application (cost, capability, performance, etc.); to lay out some strategies for articulating a case for ontological applications; and to identify remaining challenges and roadblocks to a wider deployment of such applications that represent promising application areas and research challenges for the future. The findings of the summit will be documented in the form of a communiqué intended for public consumption.

The session has been organized and chaired by NicolaGuarino to bring us the perspective from the European Commission.

See developing details on this Summit series of events at: OntologySummit2011 (home page for this summit)

Abstract
Title: "Thoughts without content are empty, intuitions without concepts are blind but you must set priorities and budgets for what you want to look at (with an eye to the EU's Digital Agenda and apologies to Kant).

by: Dr. Márta Nagy-Rothengass & Dr. Stefano Bertolo (INFSO-DG, European Commission)


 * The explosive growth of linked data on the web has dramatically upended the knowledge representation landscape (at least as funding at the EU level is concerned). In Framework Programme 6 (2003-2008) much work was devoted on developing toolchains for sophisticated conceptual models but such models very seldom ended up being populated with a meaningful number of interesting instances, they were thoughts with much less content than had been expected. The situation has changed dramatically in the last two years: there are now on the semantic web hundreds of millions of entities with useful but minimal conceptual characterization attached to them, intuitions with very few concepts. The future points to a neo-Kantian synthesis, with expert ontologists developing conceptual models to provide a valuable layer of actionable intelligence on top of this growing mass of particulars. In this talk we will describe the broad objectives of the Digital Agenda for Europe the European Commission's top policy document for information and communication technologies. We will then explain why that policy makes certain knowledge representation domains more significant than others and what this might mean in terms of funding and cooperation opportunities.

Agenda
Ontology Summit 2011 - Panel Session-8


 * Session Format: this is a virtual session conducted over an augmented conference call


 * 1. Opening (chair) -NicolaGuarino [5 min.]
 * 2. Invited Talk - MartaNagyRothengass & StefanoBertolo [1.0~1.5 Hour each] [slides]
 * 3. Q & A and open discussion [All: 20~30 min.] -- please refer to process above
 * 4. Wrap-up / Announcements - (chair)

Proceedings:
Please refer to the above

IM Chat Transcript captured during the session:

see raw transcript here.

(for better clarity, the version below is a re-organized and lightly edited chat-transcript.) Participants are welcome to make light edits to their own contributions as they see fit.

-- begin in-session chat-transcript --

PeterYim: Welcome to the ...

OntologySummit2011: Virtual Session-7 - "Perspectives from the European Commission" - Thu 2011_03_17

Summit Theme: OntologySummit2011: Making the Case for Ontology

Session Theme: Perspective from the European Commission

Session Chair: Dr. NicolaGuarino (ISTC-CNR)

Invited Speakers: Dr. Marta Nagy-Rothengass & Dr. Stefano Bertolo (INFSO-DG, European Commission)

Title: "Thoughts without content are empty, intuitions without concepts are blind but you must set priorities and budgets for what you want to look at (with an eye to the EU's Digital Agenda and apologies to Kant).

Please refer to details (dial-in, agenda, slides, etc.) on the session page at: http://ontolog.cim3.net/cgi-bin/wiki.pl?ConferenceCall_2011_03_17

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anonymous morphed into MartinGladwell

anonymous morphed into NicolaGuarino

anonymous morphed into RhettMoeller

anonymous morphed into ChristopherSpottiswoode

anonymous morphed into SeanBarker

anonymous morphed into DuaneNickull

anonymous1 morphed into AndreasHarth

anonymous morphed into DennyVrandecic

SteveRay: Cheat sheet: *2 = mute; *3 = unmute

SteveRay: Good idea, Matthew

FrankOlken: Hi, this is FrankOlken. I have joined the call. I seem to be unable to edit the web page (attendee list).

SteveRay: Frank, please don't edit the wiki. PeterYim is editing it. Since you are logged in to the chat, Peter can see that you are present.

PeterYim: @Frank - I have added you to the attendee list already (only one person should be editing the wiki anyway) ... thanks for joining

RhettMoeller: @Frank, have you tried clicking the Settings link in the main area of the window? Then there's a field for you to type your name in.

anonymous morphed into AldenDima

LeoObrst: Just joined.

anonymous morphed into PavithraKenjige

MartaNagyRothengass presenting -> from slide#1 (recording time-point 0:01:19) on

SteveRay: I would be interested to know the source of the funding numbers. Does this include private investment or just government investment. My impression was that EU was outspending the US in government investment.

RexBrooks: As a SOA person in OASIS, I'm pleased to see "service' so prominent in this slide.

RexBrooks: The difficulty with interoperability is the continuing corporate emphasis on some degree of proprietariness for maximizing profits. They have not gotten enough value yet.

NicolaGuarino: @RexBrooks: yes, but even without proprietary concerns still huge interoperability problems remain. Interoperability has remained a priority for the EU for many years now, and still we are far from achieving it

RexBrooks: @Nicola: agreed!

NicolaGuarino: Marta's point on ensuring interoperability even in absence of standards is very important from the ontology community point of view...

SteveRay: Agreed. Ontologies will help with mapping among heterogeneous models of information.

RexBrooks: @Nicola: Agreed again. I am building a couple of de facto use-based, user-defined ontologies for emergency management as an example for people to have terminologies they can use, and as a basis in the future for mapping other terminologies to these or other ontologies.

RhettMoeller: Steve / Nicola, that's where I get excited and really interested in this topic-- the ability to provide a consistent framework in spite of the differences between different lines of business.

SteveRay: @Rhett: Indeed. From a pragmatic perspective, we will never get everyone to stick to a single model of information important to them (often for good reason); therefore, mapping among models becomes the mechanism for interoperability.

DennyVrandecic: Yay to semantic wikis!

RexBrooks: Very surprised to see 3D objects and models. Excellent!

NicolaGuarino: @Rex: AIM@Shape was one of the most successful projects, in my opinion. Not much ontology there, but promising good stuff

RexBrooks: @Nicola:My surprise is due to the convergence of 3D and KM, especially with regard to CMS. You can show or visualize a higher density of information, especially as categories if you use 3D constructs such as flippable pages we see now in iPad and XOOM as interfaces. You can get a much nigher density of material into a given screen.

NicolaGuarino: @Marta (slide 1: despite EU efforts on promoting strong interdisciplinary communities, still the ontology community in EU is a bit scattered, and many researches working on EU-funded projects involving ontologies are suspicious towards an open interdisciplinary approach (especially if this philosophy-oriented research on formal ontology).

StefanoBertolo presenting -> from slide#35 (recording time-point 0:42:24) on

PeterYim: @StefanoBertolo - your slide numbering seems to be 1 (count) less than the shared deck,

PeterYim: ALL: please note, and try to add 1 to the slide number called out by StefanoBertolo

SteveRay: Ah - good quote: "The need comes first, ontologies come later"

RhettMoeller: I like that-- strong design element.

RhettMoeller: Exposing what the user is *intending* to use is a huge thing.

RhettMoeller: Why can't cable companies offer that?

BrandNiemann: Sounds like cloud computing to me!

SteveRay: I think his point is this is cloud "data" as an analog to cloud "computing"

BrandNiemann: Every European Digital by their use of cloud computing tools!

anonymous morphed into BobbinTeegarden

PeterYim: slide#58

DennyVrandecic / RhettMoeller / NicolaGuarino / MartinGladwell / SeanBarker / EricChan / MichelVandenBossche: We lost stephano

PeterYim: @Stefano - we lost you ... can you call in again!

RhettMoeller: I need to go anyway-- thank you for the fascinating introduction.

PeterYim: Nicola - is there some way to reach Marta or Stefano?

NicolaGuarino: The problem is that Stefano is not on the chat board...

AldenDima: @peter - Is audio down?

AlanRector: The sound seems just to have dropped out

PeterYim: @Alden and All - Yes ... the speakers' line seems to be off

NicolaGuarino: I am trying to speak, but it doesn't work

DennyVrandecic: i hear someone

NicolaGuarino: looks like a different call!

RexBrooks: Yes, it sounds like our telecon line got crossed with another.

DennyVrandecic: i hear

MartinGladwell: yes

SteveRay: I dialed back in, and unmuted. That worked. We have still lost the speakers though.

RexBrooks: The speakers don't have a vnc connection, I believe.

RexBrooks: This has been a terrific presentation so far. Very informative.

DennyVrandecic: tweeting to stefano

RexBrooks: I lost him on slide 58.

PeterYim: we're on slide#59 now - when Stefano calls out the number, please add 1 (the numbering on our deck and his differs by one)

SteveRay: Question for the speakers: In your opinion what do you find most compelling when proposers are "Making the case" for an ontology-based proposal? And what do you believe commercial stakeholders find most compelling? I imagine the answers to these two questions will be different.

RexBrooks: Marta's point on interoperability is key for me. What has been provided about the EU effort adds numerous powerful arguments especially about knowledge management and content management that should help make the case for interoperability for which ontology is essential.

NicolaGuarino: @Stefano: the paradoxical aspect is that the ontologies used (and advocated for) by the linked data people have been becoming poorer and poorer while the Web of data was increasing... Do linked data people feel the need of good ontologies?

RexBrooks: the Good Relations ontology is just a start. Could be exciting to see eCommerce take off.

NicolaGuarino: @Stefano: Well, I would not insist on the fact that the Good Relations ontology helps to specify *exactly* the kinds of services offered... For instance, they don't distinguish clearly between goods and services... they mainly describe goods...

PeterYim: @Nicola & Stefano - I guess LOD folks still need "good ontologies" (by whatever label one calls them) ... ref LeoObrst's recent post responding to DieterFensel - see: http://ontolog.cim3.net/forum/ontolog-forum/2011-03/msg00148.html - vocabularies/ontologies to describe linked data are indeed needed ... and are "not quite available" yet

PeterYim: @StefanoBertolo - ref. your slides #70 & #71 - well said!

RexBrooks: @Stefano: Our Ontology Application Framework is not aimed at central focus of editor, but to the range of applications which can be amplified or made possible by the overall set of ontological resources, including editors.

RexBrooks: Excellent slides on Value Metrics, Models.

SteveRay: This is great input, although I fear Stefano has misunderstood Nicola's questions to be whether they are interested in projects with titles corresponding to our 5 tracks.

RexBrooks: Volume, Value, Integration stories will definitely aid us in making the case for ontology.

SteveRay: Slide 78 speaks to our core question.

NicolaGuarino: @Steve: yes, and it is more or less in agreement with the discussion we had so far. Matthew, do you agree?

Matthew West: @Nicola: Yes I agree.

RexBrooks: Excellent Presentation!

PeterYim: @Marta & Stefano - bravo! Great Talk! ... simply awesome!

NicolaGuarino: @ALL: If you want to ask questions, please raise your hand

NicolaGuarino: The point on volume, value and integration is really new (as Rex underlined)

Q&A and Open Discussion commences --> (recording time-point 1:44:02) on

RexBrooks: In making the case for ontology, it seemed to me that the explosion of data, including unstructured data in textual form, is a BIG argument in our favor, provided we offer real solutions rather than explanations about ontology. Correct?

StefanoBertolo: I would put my bet on "sensors" rather than "textual understanding"

CoryCasanave: And by "sensors" include all the transactional data in the world developed by existing IT systems

RexBrooks: @Cory: Agreed.

ChristopherSpottiswoode: @Stefano: (My mic isn't getting thru...) Isn't there a quality problem with those quantities of LOD triples? And ontologies should be able to address it.

RexBrooks: Ahh, good points!

ChristopherSpottiswoode: Masses of well-defined LOD from different sources tends to miss the value-add from interrelationships in the T-box.

SteveRay: Excellent session. Thanks very much.

PeterYim: Yes ... great session!

ChristopherSpottiswoode: Many thanks Stefano for your most articulate presentation!

PeterYim: -- session ended: 11:58 am PDT --

-- end of in-session chat-transcript --


 * Further Question & Remarks - please post them to the [ ontology-summit ] listserv
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Audio Recording of this Session

 * To download the recording of the session, click here
 * the playback of the audio files require the proper setup, and an MP3 compatible player on your computer.
 * Conference Date and Time:	17-Mar-2011 9:45am~11:58am PDT
 * Duration of Recording:	2 Hour 03 Minutes
 * Opening by NicolaGuarino: (recording time-point) 0:00:00
 * MartaNagyRothengass presentation starts - slide#1 - 0:01:19
 * StefanoBertolo presentation commences - slide#35 - 0:42:24
 * StefanoBertolo's Kantian analysis commences - slide#53 - 1:04:46
 * In this segment, due to a mismatch in the slides decks, please add 1 to the slide numbers called out in the recording. For example, when the speaker calls out slide #53, please go to slide #54 instead.
 * Q&A and Open Discussion begins - 1:44:02
 * End of session: (recording time-point) - 2:03:02
 * Recording File Size:	       14.1 MB (in mp3 format)
 * suggestions:
 * its best that you listen to the session while having the presentation opened in front of you. You'll be prompted to advance slides by the speaker.
 * Take a look, also, at the rich body of knowledge that this community has built together, over the years, by going through the archives of noteworthy past Ontolog events. (References on how to subscribe to our podcast can also be found there.)

Additional Resources:

 * Homepage of OntologySummit2011
 * Ontology Summit 2011 Launch Event - ConferenceCall_2011_01_20
 * "Ontology Application Framework" session - ConferenceCall_2011_02_03
 * "Ontology Applications & Use Cases - I" - ConferenceCall_2011_01_27
 * "Ontology Applications & Use Cases - II" - ConferenceCall_2011_02_10
 * "Value Metrics, Value Models and the Value Proposition" - ConferenceCall_2011_02_17
 * "Strategies for 'Making the case'" - ConferenceCall_2011_02_24
 * "Integrating the Ontology Application Framework, User Cases and Value Metrics" - ConferenceCall_2011_03_03
 * "Grand Challenges" - ConferenceCall_2011_03_24
 * [ontology-summit] mailing list archives - http://ontolog.cim3.net/forum/ontology-summit/
 * to subscribe to this discussion list: send a blank message from your subscribing email address to  or visit http://ontolog.cim3.net/mailman/listinfo/ontology-summit/ and subscribe yourself there
 * Homepage of this annual Summit series - see: OntologySummit

For the record ...

How To Join (while the session is in progress)

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Conference Call Details

 * Date: Thursday 17-Mar-2011
 * Start Time: 9:30am PDT / 12:30pm EDT / 5:30pm CET / 4:30pm GMT / 16:30 UTC
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Attendees:

 * Attended:
 * NicolaGuarino
 * MartaNagyRothengass
 * StefanoBertolo
 * PeterYim
 * SteveRay
 * MartinGladwell
 * MichelVandenBossche
 * TerryLongstreth
 * YuriyMilov
 * RhettMoeller
 * ChristopherSpottiswoode
 * AldenDima
 * AlanRector
 * EricChan
 * SeanBarker
 * DustinCote
 * MatthewWest
 * SteveRay
 * DuaneNickull
 * AndreasHarth
 * DennyVrandecic (KIT)
 * FrankOlken
 * LeoObrst
 * BrandNiemann
 * AlStevens
 * PavithraKenjige
 * RexBrooks
 * MichaelGruninger
 * CoryCasanave
 * BobbinTeegarden
 * MarcoNeumann


 * Rehistered (and may have joined us after the roll call):
 * RamGouripeddi
 * TerryJanssen
 * ... if you are coming to the session, please add your name above (plus your affiliation, if you aren't already a member of the community) above; or e-mail  so that we can reserve enough resources to support everyone's participation. ...


 * Regrets:
 * AntoinetteArsic
 * RamSriram
 * DavidCollins