CFP: Intl Conf Formal Ontology in Information Systems (FOIS-2006)

["Huhns, Michael" <huhns@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

2nd Call for Papers
FOIS-2006
International Conference on Formal Ontology in Information Systems
http://www.formalontology.org/

Electronic abstracts: May 1, 2006
Final submissions: May 5, 2006
Papers should be submitted electronically at: =
http://www.softconf.com/start/FOIS06/.=20

Conference Description

Since ancient times, ontology, the analysis and categorisation of what =
exists, has been fundamental to philosophical enquiry. But, until =
recently, ontology has been seen as an abstract, purely theoretical =
discipline, far removed from the practical applications of science. =
However, with the increasing use of sophisticated computerised =
information systems, solving problems of an ontological nature is now =
key to the effective use of technologies supporting a wide range of =
human activities. The ship of Theseus and the tail of Tibbles the cat =
are no longer merely amusing puzzles. We employ databases and software =
applications to deal with everything from ships and ship building to =
anatomy and amputations. When we design a computer to take stock of a =
ship yard or check that all goes well at the veterinary hospital, we =
need to ensure that our system operates in a consistent and reliable way =
even when manipulating information that involves subtle issues of =
semantics and identity. So, whereas ontologists may once have shied away =
from practical problems, now the practicalities of achieving cohesion in =
an information-based society demand that attention must be paid to =
ontology.=20

Researchers in such areas as artificial intelligence, formal and =
computational linguistics, biomedical informatics, conceptual modeling, =
knowledge engineering and information retrieval have come to realise =
that a solid foundation for their research calls for serious work in =
ontology, understood as a general theory of the types of entities and =
relations that make up their respective domains of inquiry. In all these =
areas, attention is now being focused on the content of information =
rather than on just the formats and languages used to represent =
information. The clearest example of this development is provided by the =
many initiatives growing up around the project of the Semantic Web. And, =
as the need for integrating research in these different fields arises, =
so does the realisation that strong principles for building well-founded =
ontologies might provide significant advantages over ad hoc, case-based =
solutions. The tools of formal ontology address precisely these needs, =
but a real effort is required in order to apply such philosophical tools =
to the domain of information systems. Reciprocally, research in the =
information sciences raises specific ontological questions which call =
for further philosophical investigations.=20
The purpose of FOIS is to provide a forum for genuine interdisciplinary =
exchange in the spirit of a unified effort towards solving the problems =
of ontology, with an eye to both theoretical issues and concrete =
applications.=20

Program Chairs
Brandon Bennett (University of Leeds, UK) brandon@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx=20
Christiane Fellbaum (Princeton University, USA and Berlin Brandenburg =
Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Germany) =
fellbaum@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx=20
Conference Chair
Nicola Guarino (ISTC-CNR, Trento, Italy) guarino@xxxxxxxxxx
Local Chair
Bill Andersen (Ontology Works, USA) andersen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx=20
Publicity Chair
Leo Obrst (The MITRE Corporation, USA) lobrst@xxxxxxxxx

Topics

We seek high-quality papers on a wide range of topics. While authors may =
focus on fairly narrow and specific issues, all papers should emphasize =
the relevance of the work described to formal ontology and to =
information systems. Papers that completely ignore one or the other of =
these aspects will be considered as lying outside the scope of the =
meeting. Topic areas of particular interest to the conference are:=20
Foundational Issues
* Kinds of entity: particulars vs. universals, continuants vs. =
occurrents, abstracta vs. concreta, dependent vs. independent, natural =
vs. artificial=20
* Formal relations: parthood, identity, connection, dependence, =
constitution, subsumption, instantiation=20
* Vagueness and granularity=20
* Identity and change=20
* Formal comparison among ontologies=20
* Ontology of physical reality (matter, space, time, motion, ...)=20
* Ontology of biological reality (genes, proteins, cells, organisms, =
...)=20
* Ontology of mental reality (mental attitudes, emotions, ...)=20
* Ontology of social reality (institutions, organizations, norms, social =
relationships, artistic expressions, ...)=20
* Ontology of the information society (information, communication, =
meaning negotiation, ...)=20
* Ontology and natural language semantics, ontology and cognition, =
ontology and epistemology, semiotics
Methodologies and Applications
* Top-level vs. application ontologies=20
* Role of reference ontologies; Ontology integration and alignment=20
* Ontology-driven information systems design=20
* Requirements engineering=20
* Knowledge engineering=20
* Knowledge management and organization=20
* Knowledge representation; Qualitative modeling=20
* Computational lexica; Terminology=20
* Information retrieval; Question-answering=20
* Semantic web; Web services; Grid computing=20
* Domain-specific ontologies, especially for: Linguistics, Geography, =
Law, Library science, Biomedical science, E-business, Enterprise =
integration, ...=20

Deadlines and Further Information
Electronic abstracts: May 1, 2006
Final submissions: May 5, 2006
Acceptance Notification: June 26, 2006
Submission of camera-ready paper: July 28, 2006

Submitted papers must not exceed 5000 words (including bibliography). =
Abstracts should be less than 300 words. Papers should be submitted =
electronically at: http://www.softconf.com/start/FOIS06/. Additional =
information will be provided on the conference web page: =
http://www.formalontology.org/ .
Proceedings will be published and available at the conference.
________________________________________
Programme Committee
* Bill Andersen (Ontology Works, USA)=20
* Nicholas Asher (Department of Philosophy, University of Texas at =
Austin, USA)=20
* Nathalie Aussenac-Gilles (Research Institute for Computer Science, =
CNRS, Toulouse, France)=20
* John Bateman (Department of Applied English Linguistics, University of =
Bremen, Germany)=20
* Brandon Bennett (School of Computing, University of Leeds, UK)=20
* Stefano Borgo (Laboratory for Applied Ontology, ISTC-CNR, Italy)=20
* Joost Breuker (Leibniz Center for Law, University of Amsterdam, The =
Netherlands)=20
* Roberto Casati (Jean Nicod Institute, CNRS, Paris, France)=20
* Werner Ceusters (European Centre for Ontological Research, =
Saarbr=FCcken)=20
* Tony Cohn (School of Computing, University of Leeds, UK)=20
* Matteo Cristani (University of Verona, Italy)=20
* Ernest Davis (Department of Computer Science, New York University, =
USA)=20
* Martin D=F6rr (Institute of Computer Science, FORTH, Heraklion, =
Greece)=20
* Carola Eschenbach (Department for Informatics, University of Hamburg, =
Germany)=20
* Christiane Fellbaum (Cognitive Science Laboratory, Princeton =
University, USA and Berlin Brandenburg Academy of Sciences and =
Humanities, Berlin, Germany)=20
* Antony Galton (School of Engineering and Computer Science, University =
of Exeter, UK)=20
* Aldo Gangemi (Laboratory for Applied Ontology, ISTC-CNR, Roma, Italy)=20
* Pierdaniele Giaretta (Department of Philosophy, University of Verona, =
Italy)=20
* Michael Gruninger (University of Toronto, Canada)=20
* Nicola Guarino (Laboratory for Applied Ontology, ISTC-CNR, Trento, =
Italy)=20
* Udo Hahn (Jena University, Germany)=20
* Jerry Hobbs (University of Southern California, USA)=20
* Eduard Hovy (University of Southern California, USA)=20
* Ingvar Johansson (Institute for Formal Ontology and Medical =
Information Science, University of Saarbr=FCcken, Germany)=20
* Werner Kuhn (IFGI, Muenster)=20
* Fritz Lehmann (USA)=20
* Alessandro Lenci (University of Pisa, Italy)=20
* Leonardo Lesmo (Department of Computer Science, University of Torino, =
Italy)=20
* David Mark (Department of Geography, State University of New York, =
Buffalo, USA)=20
* Claudio Masolo (Laboratory for Applied Ontology, ISTC-CNR, Trento, =
Italy)=20
* Chris Menzel (Department of Philosophy, Texas A&M University, USA)=20
* Simon Milton (Department of Information Systems, University of =
Melbourne, Australia)=20
* Philippe Muller (Research Institute for Computer Science, University =
of Toulouse III, France)=20
* John Mylopoulos (Department of Computer Science, University of =
Toronto, Canada)=20
* Leo Obrst (The MITRE Corporation, USA)=20
* Barbara Partee (University of Massachusetts, USA)=20
* Massimo Poesio (Department of Computer Science, University of Essex, =
UK)=20
* Ian Pratt-Hartmann (Department of Computer Science, University of =
Manchester, UK)=20
* James Pustejovsky (Department of Computer Science, Brandeis =
University, USA)=20
* David Randell (Imperial College London, UK)=20
* Robert Rynasiewicz (Johns Hopkins University, USA)
* Barry Smith (National Center for Ontological Research and Department =
of Philosophy, University at Buffalo, USA; Institute for Formal Ontology =
and Medical Information Science, Saarbr=FCcken, Germany)=20
* John Sowa (Vivomind Intelligence Inc., USA)=20
* Veda Storey (Department of Computer Information Systems, Georgia State =
University, USA)=20
* Richmond Thomason (University of Michigan, USA)=20
* Mike Uschold (The Boeing Company, USA)=20
* Achille Varzi (Department of Philosophy, Columbia University, USA)=20
* Laure Vieu (Research Institute for Computer Science, CNRS, Toulouse, =
France)=20
* Chris Welty (IBM Watson Research Center, USA)=20

Dr. Leo Obrst=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0 The MITRE Corporation, Information =
Semantics=20
lobrst@xxxxxxxxx=A0=A0=A0 Center for Innovative Computing & Informatics=20
Voice: 703-983-6770 7515 Colshire Drive, M/S H305=20
Fax: 703-983-1379=A0=A0 McLean, VA 22102-7508, USA=20