Ontology is the philosophical discipline that aims to understandhow things in the world are divided into categories and howthese categories are related. This is exactly what informationscientists aim for in creating structured, automated representations,called ontologies, for managing information in fields suchas science, government, industry, and healthcare. Currently,these systems are designed in a variety of different ways, sothey cannot share data with one another. This volume shows,in a non-technical way and using examples from medicine andbiology, how the rigorous application of theories and insightsfrom philosophical ontology can improve the ontologies uponwhich information management depends.
Description:
Ontology is the philosophical discipline that aims to understandhow things in the world are divided into categories and howthese categories are related. This is exactly what informationscientists aim for in creating structured, automated representations,called ontologies, for managing information in fields suchas science, government, industry, and healthcare. Currently,these systems are designed in a variety of different ways, sothey cannot share data with one another. This volume shows,in a non-technical way and using examples from medicine andbiology, how the rigorous application of theories and insightsfrom philosophical ontology can improve the ontologies uponwhich information management depends.