Philosophy, Ontology, and Information Systems Petra Becker-Pechau1, Pierre Grenon2, Mark Lycett3, Chris Partridge3, J¨org Pechau4, and Dirk Siebert2 1 Hamburg University, Fachbereich Informatik, Software Engineering Group, Vogt-K¨olln-Straße 30, 22527 Hamburg, Germany, becker@informatik.uni-hamburg.de 2 IFOMIS, University of Leipzig, H¨artelstraße 16-18, 04107 Leipzig, Germany, {pierre.grenon|dirk.siebert}@ifomis.uni-leipzig.de 3 Department of Information Systems and Computing, Brunel University, Uxbridge, Middlesex, UB8 3PH, United Kingdom, {mark.lycett|chris.partridge}@brunel.ac.uk 4 CoreMedia AG, Ludwig-Erhard-Straße 18, 20459 Hamburg, Germany joerg.pechau@coremedia.com Abstract. The workshop aimed at providing a forum to discuss the use of philosophical ontology in object-oriented information systems. Whilst ontology is now more widely used in computing circles - knowledge rep- resentation, system integration, legacy transformation, and the semantic web for example - initial attempts have been modest in their outcomes. This is because computing ontology to-date has been used primarily for (often competing) concept definitions: Pragmatically, ontologies have ei- ther been developed in an abstract sense (based on some authorative perspective), or people have taken materials at hand (data models and the like) and tried to glue them together. A sound basis on which to properly align different views on aspects of the world in order to work towards a consistent whole is missing. With this in mind, the workshop aimed to secure a measure of agreement on: – What philosophical ontology is, – How ontology can assist in software development, – Key obstacles to the deployment of ontology, and – Possible collaborative efforts among the participants. Selection of participants was based on short position papers and/or previously demonstrated interest in related areas of activity. Participants The workshop was attended by: – Naci Akkøk, Department of Informatics, University of Oslo, nacia@ifi.uio.no, – Petra Becker-Pechau, Fachbereich Informatik, Software Engineering Group, University of Hamburg, becker@informatik.uni-hamburg.de, The title of this report should be referenced as “Report from the ECOOP 2004 Workshop on Philosophy, Ontology, and Information Systems”. J. Malenfant and B.M. Østvold (Eds.): ECOOP 2004, LNCS 3344, pp. 62–66, 2004. c© Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2004 -- 1 of 5 -- Philosophy, Ontology, and Information Systems 63 – Jos´e Mar´ia Cavero, Rey Juan Carlos University, jmcavero@escet.urjc.es, – Yannis Charalabidis, Singular Software SA, yannisx@singular.gr – Jim Coakes, School of Business, University of Westminster, j m.coakes@which.net, – Martin Gladwell, IBM, martin gladwell@uk.ibm.com, – Mass Soldal Lund, Department of Informatics, University of Oslo, Mass.S.Lund@sintef.no, – Mark Lycett, Brunel University, Mark.Lycett@brunel.ac.uk, – Esperanza Marcos, Rey Juan Carlos University, emarcos@escet.urjc.es, – Palle Nowack, Maersk Institute, University of Southern Denmark, nowack@mip.sdu.dk, – Chris Partridge, Brunel University Chris.Partridge@42objects.com, – J¨org Pechau, CoreMedia AG, joerg.pechau@coremedia.com, – Jan Pettersen Nytun, Faculty of Engineering, Agder University College, Jan.P.Nytun@hia.no, – Andreas Prinz, Department of Informatics, University of Oslo, Andreas.Prinz@hia.no, – Dirk Siebert, Institute for Formal Ontology and Medical Information Science, University of Leipzig, Dirk.Siebert@ifomis.uni-leipzig.de, – Mircea Trofin, School of Electronic Engineering, Dublin City University, Mircea.Trofin@eeng.dcu.ie Summary Chris Partridge set the scene for the workshop. A sequence of individual presen- tations and ensuing discussions consumed most of the workshop’s time. In the wrap-up we noted: – Agreement • Philosophical ontology is applicable to information systems. Therefore more than 2000 years’ worth of ontological research in philosophy should actually be leveraged. • There are different views on philosophical ontology, though. But given the state of the art - the differences are of minor importance right now. • Metaphysical choices ∗ Explicitly to be made ∗ Consequenses and implications can and should be made clear. • What is (an) O/ontology? • Deployability needs to be solved. • Sophistication is important to manage quality and complexity. • Different views / concerns / aspects can in general be handled in a single ontology - there might be exceptions. – Disagreement • Realism / anti-realism resp. discovery / design. -- 2 of 5 -- 64 P. Becker-Pechau et al. – Open issues • Is there only one ontology? ∗ Depends on metaphysical choices (to be) made. ∗ Design choices (short term gains) • How to reap the benefits? • People issues: ∗ How to bring people up to speed? – Query-ability of ontologies – What is the role of representation in the discussion of ontology? How formal does philosophical ontology need to be? Literature – Partridge, Chris: Introduction to the Workshop, http://www.ifomis.uni-leipzig.de/Events/ECOOP/2004/ WS PhilosophyOntologyInformationSystems/papers/Partridge.pdf – Accepted papers: • Cavero, Jos Mara , Esperanza Marcos: A Schematical View of the On- tologies Concept, http://www.ifomis.uni-leipzig.de/Events/ECOOP/2004/ WS PhilosophyOntologyInformationSystems/papers/CaveroMarcos.pdf • Coakes, J. M., D. Rosenberg: Bringing IS Ontologies Closer to the Real World, http://www.ifomis.uni-leipzig.de/Events/ECOOP/2004/ WS PhilosophyOntologyInformationSystems/papers/ CoakesRosenberg.pdf • Martin N. Gladwell: Position Paper on Philosophy, Ontology and Infor- mation Systems, http://www.ifomis.uni-leipzig.de/Events/ECOOP/2004/ WS PhilosophyOntologyInformationSystems/papers/Gladwell.pdf • Nowack, Palle: Conceptual Modeling for Ubiquitous Systems, http://www.ifomis.uni-leipzig.de/Events/ECOOP/2004/ WS PhilosophyOntologyInformationSystems/papers/Nowack.pdf • Nytun, Jan Pettersen, Andreas Prinz: Metalevel Representation and Philosophical Ontology, http://www.ifomis.uni-leipzig.de/Events/ECOOP/2004/ WS PhilosophyOntologyInformationSystems/papers/NytunPrinz.pdf • Schneider, Luc: Foundational Ontologies and the Realist Bias, http://ceur- ws.org/Vol-94/ki03rao schneider.pdf – Late submission: • Akkøk, Naci: Proliferation of Ontology in Software Engineering and its Consequences http://www.ifomis.uni-leipzig.de/Events/ECOOP/2004/ WS PhilosophyOntologyInformationSystems/papers/Akkok.pdf -- 3 of 5 -- Philosophy, Ontology, and Information Systems 65 – Suggested reading: • The following papers shed light on different aspects of workshop topics: ∗ Smith, Barry, Werner Ceusters: Towards Industrial-Strength Philos- ophy. [Introduces ontology in philosophy and medical information science.] http://ontology.buffalo.edu/medo/tisp.pdf ∗ Partridge, Chris: Note: A Couple of Meta-Ontological Choices for Ontological Architectures. Padova, The BORO Program, LADSEB CNR, Italy: 2002. LADSEB-CNR - Technical report 06/02. [Key as- pects of a philosophical ontology.] http://www.boroprogram.dsl.pipex.com/ladsebreports/ladseb t r 06- 02.pdf ∗ Partridge, Chris: The Role of Ontology in Integrating Semantically Heterogeneous Databases. Padova, The BORO Program, LADSEB CNR, Italy: (2002). LADSEB-CNR - Technical report 05/02. [The link between inter-operability and philosophical ontology.] http://www.loa-cnr.it/Papers/ladseb tr05-02.pdf ∗ Daga, Aseem, Sergio de Cesare, Mark Lycett, and Chris Partridge: An Ontological Approach to Sophisticating Legacy Business Con- tent. [The importance of sophistication for a philosopical ontology.] http://www.ifomis.uni-leipzig.de/Events/ECOOP/2004/ WS PhilosophyOntologyInformationSystems/sr/ DagaDeCesareLycettPartridge AnOntologicalApproachToSophisticatingLegacyBusinessContent.pdf • These provide deeper insight/background: ∗ Mealy, G. H.: Another Look at Data. Proceeding of AFIPS 1967 Fall Joint Computer Conference Vol. 31: 1967. [Showing that an interest in ontology manifested itself at a very early stage.] ∗ Kent, W.: Data and Reality: Basic Assumptions in Data Processing Reconsidered. North-Holland, Amsterdam, New York: 1978. [Show- ing that an interest in philosophical questions was also present at an early stage.] ∗ Grenon, Pierre: Knowledge Management From the Ontological Stand- point. http://www.uni-leipzig.de/ pgrenon/Downloads/grenon-wm2003.pdf ∗ Daga, Aseem, Sergio de Cesare, Mark Lycett, and Chris Partridge: Software Stability: Recovering General Patterns of Business Content. [Making the connection between software stability and ontology.] http://www.ifomis.uni-leipzig.de/Events/ECOOP/2004/ WS PhilosophyOntologyInformationSystems/sr/ DagaDeCesareLycettPartridge SoftwareStability.pdf ∗ Partridge, Chris: Business Objects: Re-Engineering for Re-use. But- terworth Heinemann, Oxford: 1996. [Tying in O-O implementation with philosophy/ontology.] -- 4 of 5 -- 66 P. Becker-Pechau et al. ∗ Partridge, Chris: What is Pump Facility PF101? Padova, The BORO Program, LADSEB CNR, Italy: 2002. LADSEB-CNR - Technical report 04/02. [An example of the use of philosophical ontology in the offshore process industry.] http://www.loa-cnr.it/Papers/ladseb tr04-02.pdf ∗ Smith, Barry: Ontology. [For a more general and much more thor- ough account than the one provided in ”Towards Industrial-Strength Philosophy”.] http://www.ifomis.uni-leipzig.de/Events/ECOOP/2004/ WS PhilosophyOntologyInformationSystems/sr/SmithOntology.pdf -- 5 of 5 --