I was thinking initially Phil's concerns may have been more in terms
of the wording used on the page, but Robert makes it more clear the
issues are much more fundamental than that. All of Robert's points
sound very much to the root of why there would be concerns this is
not a comprehensive view of what "formal" can mean in both the
construction and use of ontologies.
I did like the fact an attempt was made to include the cornucopia of
Upper Level ontologies in active use, since clarity on this issue has
often not been very good - and the arguments that rage over which
best fits a particular application can be difficult to follow for some.
I would certainly want to commend David Z's colleague for having the
bravery (others might call it temerity) to step out and make a first
stab at presenting - in a very public forum - a topic that can often
foment arguments during academic debates. I've been party to many
public debates over specific scientific issues over the years, but
there is something about the topic of proper ontology construction
and implementation in biomedical informatics - debates that must
address what an ontology IS and what an ontology IS NOT - that brings
out the most vehement disagreements. The disagreements will remain,
so long as there are effective applications to demonstrate the value
of the differing points-of-view.
Perhaps we could work to assist David D. in his noble effort to
disseminate information on this topic of great importance to many of
us in this very public forum, if others agree its useful to have such
a resource in the Wikipedia.
Cheers,
Bill
On Jan 24, 2007, at 9:50 AM, Davide Zaccagnini wrote:
David Decreane from L&C started that page and wrote good part of
the content. I'm passing him your kind comments.
Thanks
Davide
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] on behalf of William Bug
Sent: Tue 1/23/2007 4:06 PM
To: Alan Ruttenberg
Cc: public-semweb-lifesci hcls
Subject: Re: [biont] Nice wikipedia page on ontology
Great reference, Alan!
I'd noticed a while back, a collection of folks who understand the
formal details, the entirety of the landscape, and collectively
have done a great job documenting this info have worked on that page.
Cheers,
Bill
On Jan 23, 2007, at 10:00 AM, Alan Ruttenberg wrote:
Start at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formal_Ontology
-Alan
Bill Bug
Senior Research Analyst/Ontological Engineer
Laboratory for Bioimaging & Anatomical Informatics
www.neuroterrain.org
Department of Neurobiology & Anatomy
Drexel University College of Medicine
2900 Queen Lane
Philadelphia, PA 19129
215 991 8430 (ph)
610 457 0443 (mobile)
215 843 9367 (fax)
Please Note: I now have a new email - [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Bill Bug
Senior Research Analyst/Ontological Engineer
Laboratory for Bioimaging & Anatomical Informatics
www.neuroterrain.org
Department of Neurobiology & Anatomy
Drexel University College of Medicine
2900 Queen Lane
Philadelphia, PA 19129
215 991 8430 (ph)
610 457 0443 (mobile)
215 843 9367 (fax)
Please Note: I now have a new email - [EMAIL PROTECTED]
