Network Based Information Brokering - Overview
Project Objective
Facilitate the construction of network-based information brokers by providing
tools for domain and information source modeling, tools for semantic level
integration of heterogeneous information sources, a library of multi-use
foundation ontologies, and query-answering techniques from information sources
with semantic mismatches.
Technical Approach
Build on the languages (e.g., KIF), protocols, libraries, and tools (e.g.,
Ontolingua) developed in the DARPA Knowledge Sharing Effort.
Develop tools and languages for building declarative domain models, conduct
research in the design and implementation of foundational concepts that underlie
the modeling of a broad array of application domains, and provide new tools for
assisting users of networked-based information systems in formulating
appropriate queries. All tools, foundational ontologies, and domain models will
be made available over the World Wide Web for access by the research community.
Recent Activities
- Completed initial design of a domain and information source modeling tool kit
for semantic level integration of heterogeneous information sources. The tool
kit will use Ontolingua as a modeling language and context-logic as a
translation rule language.
- Completed development of an IDL-Ontolingua translator and made it available
as a facility in the Ontolingua Web Server. (Note: IDL is CORBA's Interface
Description Language.)
- Provided web-accessible versions of IDL schemas produced by the
DARPA-sponsored Object Modeling Working Group in the form of Ontolingua
ontologies accompanied by documentation cross-referenced to definitions in the
ontology.
The Ontolingua ontology development system and library are available for public
use as a World Wide Web service. The server is in active use by over a hundred
users at both academic and corporate sites. Descriptions of sample projects
using Ontolingua are available on the server. Ontolingua can be accessed from
http://ontolingua.stanford.edu/frame-editor/.
Project Staff (9/1996)
- Faculty: Richard Fikes
- Research Associates: Adam Farquhar
- Scientific Programmer: James Rice
- Ph. D. Students: Sasa Buvac, Angela Dappert, Sunil Vemuri
Plans for the Next Year
- Develop, encode, and add to the on-line Ontolingua library foundation
ontologies for situation assessment and planning applications.
- Upgrade the Ontolingua Web server's user interface by incorporating Java
applets that support fast response user interactions, graphs, client-side
caching, etc.
- Develop a query-answering system from information sources with semantic
mismatches.
- Implement and test an initial version of a domain and information source
modeling tool kit for semantic level integration of heterogeneous information
sources.
- Develop an ontology-based information extraction system for use with
structured texts such as product catalogs.
- Upgrade the Ontolingua Web server to include facilities needed for developers
of IDL schema.
Recent Publications
Most KSL publications are available on line at:
http://www.ksl.stanford.edu/publications
- A. Farquhar, R. Fikes, J. Rice. "The Ontolingua Server: a Tool
for Collaborative Ontology Construction". Preceedings of the 1996
Knowledge Acquisition Workshop (KAW96); November
1996. Also available as KSL-96-26.
- R. Fikes, A. Farquhar, W. Pratt; "Information Brokers for Gathering Information
from Heterogeneous Information Sources"; Proceedings of the Ninth Florida
Artificial Intelligence Research Symposium (FLAIRS '96), John H. Stewman [ed];
pp. 192-197; Key West, Florida; May 1996.
- J. Rice, A. Farquhar, P. Piernot, & T. Gruber; "Lessons Learned Using the Web as
an Application Interface"; Proceedings of CHI96; Vancouver, British Columbia;
April 1996.
- S. Buvac and R. Fikes; "A Declarative Formalization of Knowledge Translation";
Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Information and Knowledge
Management; Baltimore, Maryland; November 1995
- A. Farquhar, R. Fikes, W. Pratt, & J. Rice; "Collaborative Ontology Construction
for Information Integration"; Knowledge Systems Laboratory Department of
Computer Science, KSL-95-63, August 1995.
Adam Farquhar
Last modified: Fri Sep 20 18:41:40 PDT 1996