Vocabulary: Ontology

[Frederic V. Hessman]

> This can be achieved by using just about any kind of internal data  
> model for each data source, and transformed on demand (processing  
> dump export, web services, whatever) into a common RDF syntax  
> (which boils down at the end of the day to a triple store).
>
> As an illustration, I don't know if folks here are aware of the  
> Linking Open Data project [1], and singularly of the DBpedia [2]  
> data base, which happens to contain quite a lot of descriptions  
> extracted from Wikipedia pages - which quality might vary, OK, but  
> just try the following. Go to http://dbpedia.openlinksw.com:8890/ 
> sparql And copy the following SPARQL query in the query box
>
> PREFIX category: <http://dbpedia.org/resource/Category:> PREFIX  
> skos: <http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core#> PREFIX prop: <http:// 
> dbpedia.org/property/>
>
> SELECT ?x ?p
> WHERE { ?x skos:subject category:Delta_Scuti_variables.
>
>                   ?x  skos:subject category:Bayer_objects.
>                   ?x  prop:parallax ?p.}
>
> I am sure it does not need translation in natural language :-) .  
> The query results as of today are as following
>
> x 	p
> http://dbpedia.org/resource/Vega 	129.01
> http://dbpedia.org/resource/Beta_Cassiopeiae 	69.5
> http://dbpedia.org/resource/Delta_Capricorni 	84.58
> http://dbpedia.org/resource/Denebola 	90.16
> http://dbpedia.org/resource/Sigma_Octantis 	12.07
>
>
> Put any of those URI in your browser and see what you get.

Very nice, and a WONDERFUL example of my basic problem with the  
current state of things: all of the tools out there are only  
accessible if there is a fundamental vocabulary  - how else am I (and  
especially my computer) to know that "Bayer_objects" was the magic  
word ("parallax" I might have guessed myself).  Yes, I can create  
some fancy software agent that goes out, creates a dynamic ontology  
based on all the links currently available, and then guesses that  
"Bayer_objects" is the thing I need, but......

Ya'll are welcome to produce oodles of fancy tools and breathtaking  
demos based on the power of current semantic software tools if you'll  
just let me _officially_ name a spiral galaxy a "spiral galaxy" and a  
Delta Scuti star a "Delta Scuti star" (please substitute your own  
favorite form for the tokens - who cares, really)( I'm rather fond of  
the token "PeanutButterAndJelly" and would like to see what your  
favorite semantic tool does with this token when applied to a spiral  
galaxy).

Or do we want to wait long enough for the dbpedia crew to decide  
which tokens we are effectively allowed to use and create a  
professional vocabulary for us?  In fact, maybe we should pool the  
current dbpedia list of resource labels and simply adopt them as good  
working starts and then kindly ask the dbpedia crew to use the rest  
of the tokens if possible......

> All the point now is : Do you care for IVOA data to be merged/ 
> compared or otherwise linked to such public data? Or not?
(sigh)

Rick

------------------------------------------------------------------------ 
------------------------
Dr. Frederic V. Hessman     Hessman at Astro.physik.Uni-Goettingen.DE
Institut für Astrophysik          Tel.  +49-551-39-5052
Friedrich-Hund-Platz 1         Fax +49-551-39-5043
37077 Goettingen                 Room F04-133
http://www.Astro.physik.Uni-Goettingen.de/~hessman
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MONET: a MOnitoring NEtwork of Telescopes
http://monet.Uni-Goettingen.de
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