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Research Note 24 October 11, 2003

 

Supplemental Report to the REAL Program at DARPA

 

The SAIC – Ontologystream Proposal (September 3rd, 2003)

 

Design features of Class:Object pairing technology

 

Based on work we have completed in the past several months, we have concluded that certain adjustments need to be made to our program.  We have come to understand that the Continuous Connection Model (ATS’s patented technology), while quite valuable, is subtly misaligned with our design and needs to be substituted.  A detailed explanation of our critique and alternative solution is currently under review by several leading scholars.  Here, we summarize our new understanding and indicate some of the implications.  With this adjustment, we feel that deployable routines can soon be made available that serve important intelligence tasks, such as detection of real time memetic patterns indicating intent to conduct terrorism.  (Note on civilian uses for ORBs.)

 

A tacit assumption underlying many text-processing systems is that structure in textual data is sufficient for creating high-fidelity conceptual representation, and that the contribution of the human analyst is not essential.  Our assumption has always been different, that ontology services need to supplement human reification, and that real linguistic variation can best be found by allowing humans to interact with rules applied in multi-pass parsing. Two input processes are needed, one that is human and one that is algorithmic.  The difficulty comes in supporting this approach at every level.  (Note on the use of the Actionable Intelligence Process Model (AIPM).)

 

Our system will now allow humans to fortify conceptual representations at the base level.  Encoding that is similar to the type:value pairing in the ATS technology will now be substituted with a class:object pairing methodology.  This methodology is interoperable with OWL (Ontology Web Language).  In the listing of design features below, we offer several new features that depend on the revised approach, and which are not features of the CCM technology.  We are confident that these features can be delivered in our REAL system and will support breakthrough applications.

 

This shift in our approach creates advances elsewhere in our program.  Our original proposal called for the integration of ClearForest tools in a Phase 2, but we will now be able to bring this important integration forward into Phase 1 without change in cost.

 

Phase 1 will continue to depend on the use of a unique Text Analysis International software system for producing systems that have situational deep case grammar and ontology based multi-pass parsing capabilities.  We will also continue to task Steven Newcomb to develop a Topic Map control module for a conceptual roll-up using word-level n-grams, frames with slots and fillers (as discussed by Roger Schank), but the module will now employ class:object encoding and encoded data transformation methods. 

 

We also plan to insert highly agile rule engines as part of text pre-processing, algorithmic methods based on latent semantic indexing for categorizing text into context, and a distributed knowledge management system based on SchemaLogic’s data schema and terminology reconciliation technology. 

 

Design features of Class:Object pairing technology

 

1: Localization of information.

 

1.1: Input is acquired from the user or from machine algorithm:

1.1.1: Provide for human community based reconciliation of control parameters using distributed controlled vocabularies.

1.1.2:  Switch from type:value to class:object terminology.

1.1.3: Use general framework theory, similar to and modeled after the Zachman and Ballad frameworks.

 

1.2: The type:value pairing model that ATS developed is to be exchanged for a publicly disclosed, not patented, class:object pairing technology

1.2.1:  Ontology classes and ontology objects will be complemented with more complex metadata. 

1.2.2:  A pointer, or hash key, will be placed into the class constructor so that objects created will be accessable via a Berkley Data Base derived hash table management system. This provides very fast access to the classes and objects within the Ontology Reference Base.

 

1.3: A theory of class:object may be developed to assist in the principled specification of type and value during input and as part of a control module:

1.3.1: Provide interoperability between ontology object encoded information and Ontology Web Language (OWL) constructions, including those depending on first order predicate logics.

1.3.2: Provide interoperability between ontology object encoded information and Topic Map constructions including HyTime and Grove constructions

1.3.3:  Provide for the inclusion of type and value role specifications so as to enhance the model of linguistic variation as applied in specific circumstances – such as modeling the social discourse of terrorist cells.

 

2: Global organization of ontology object constructions.

 

2.1: Provide a collective view of all of the connections between objects where these connections are determined by a first order predicate logic, using those objects that are defined within the elementary atoms of a situational logic.

 

2.2: Provide a means to reify, by human inspection, collective views of a collection of objects and to make changes in connections manually.

 

2.3: Provide a means to produce connections that would not otherwise exist, by indirect means including latent semantic indexing, ontology services, and continuum mathematical models of linguistic variation. 

 

3: Use of graph constructions and transforms on graphs.

 

3.1: Develop and encode into computer processes extended methods for specifying relationships of various types using a theory of type.

 

3.2: Link objects having the nature of class:object pairs, using convolution operators that has as the operator’s “domain” a set of graphs, and has as the operator’s “range” a set of graphs. 

 

3.3: Link objects having the nature of class:object pairs, using convolution operators that has as the operator’s domain a set of objects, and has as the operator’s range a set of graph.