Improving discovery in the life sciences using semantic Web technologies and linked data: design principles for life sciences knowledge organization systems

Dissertation presented to obtain the Ph.D degree in Bioinformatics

The Methodological Influence of Peirce's Pragmatism on Knowledge Organization

Information and knowledge organization in Brazil has been historically influenced by theoretical linguistics. However, some aspects related to language theory and its interface with philosophy need to be further investigated, particularly the semiotic interpretation of information and knowledge organization processes. In order to advance a dialogue with the philosophy and semiotics of Charles Peirce (1839-1914), a theoretical and bibliographical study was carried out so as to understand and evaluate the contributions of the Peircean thought to information organization. It was found that several aspects of Peirce's work, viewed as a whole and not just semiotic concepts, suggest fundamental points to explain issues in information and knowledge organization. Basing on the analysis of Thellefsen's studies, this research presents some arguments aimed at reframing Peirce's pragmatism, which should no longer be mistakenly considered as a doctrine of practical results, but as a useful methodological approach for professionals dealing with knowledge organization in the field of Information Science.

Theoretical Approximations Between Brazilian and Spanish Authors' Production in the Field of Knowledge Organization in the Production of Journals on Information Science in Brazil

This work identifies and analyzes literature about knowledge organization (KO), expressed in scientific journals communication of information science (IS). It performs an exploratory study on the Base de Dados Referencial de Artigos de Periodicos em Ciência da Informacio (BRAPCI, Reference Database of Journal Articles on Information Science) between the years 2000 and 2010. The descriptors relating to "knowledge organization" are used in order to recover and analyze the corresponding articles and to identify descriptors and concepts which integrate the semantic universe related to KO. Through the analysis of content, based on metrical studies, this article gathers and interprets data relating to documents and authors. Through this, it demonstrates the development of this field and its research fronts according to the observed characteristics, as well as noting the transformation indicative in the production of knowledge. The work describes the influences of the Spanish researchers on Brazilian literature in the fields of knowledge and information organization. As a result, it presents the most cited and productive authors, the theoretical currents which support them, and the most significant relationships of the Spanish-Brazilian authors network. Based on the constant key-words analysis in the cited articles, the co-existence of the French conception current and the incipient Spanish influence in Brazil is observed. Through this, it contributes to the comprehension of the thematic range relating to KO, stimulating both criticism and self-criticism, debate and knowledge creation, based on studies that have been developed and institutionalized in academic contexts in Spain and Brazil.

Análise da presença e articulação teórica da Catalogação de Assunto na literatura científica da International Society for Knowledge Organization ISKO: uma análise de domínio

Subject Cataloging is one of the processes of subject approach to information, beside indexing and subject analysis. In this sense, this research is a part of a broader project which analyses ISKO as an academic space that promotes a dialogical dimension among those theoretical questions. In this sense, it aims to analyze the presence of subject cataloguing in the discussions of knowledge organization as well as how the authors of such subject dialogue each other. Considering the questions, the full collection of ISKO and ISKO-Spain conference proceedings were analyzed in order to verify how present were subject cataloguing matters in those collections. It was possible to identify a group of 36 articles (27 from International ISKO and 9 from ISKO – Spain) whose references were bibliometrically analyzed in terms of documentary forms, average life, language and citation analysis. The results showed that the major ISKO and ISKO-Spain literature on subject cataloguing is based on journal articles, mostly published in English, presenting a relatively young average life (14 years for ISKO and 10 for ISKO-Spain).

Challenges and opportunities for knowledge organization at the intersection with information technologies

In this paper we study the intersection of Knowledge Organization with Information Technologies and the challenges and opportunities for Knowledge Organization experts that, in our view, are important to be studied and for them to be aware of. We start by giving some definitions necessary for providing the context for our work. Then we review the history of the Web, beginning with the Internet and continuing with the World Wide Web, the Semantic Web, problems of Artificial Intelligence, Web 2.0, and Linked Data. Finally, we conclude our paper with IT applications for Knowledge Organization in libraries, such as FRBR, BIBFRAME, and several OCLC initiatives, as well as with some of the challenges and opportunities in which Knowledge Organization experts and researchers might play a key role in relation to the Semantic Web.

Postmodern archival science and contemporary diplomatics New approaches for archival knowledge organization

New information technologies and new forms of documentary production have led archivists to rethink the role of archival science in the so-called information age. Since the late 1980s, the principles, methods and concepts stated by the well-known manuals of the 19th and the 20th centuries have been reconsidered along with their application to the organic sets of document in the 21st century. In this new scenario of reformulation and reinterpretation regarding the perspectives on archival knowledge organization, two trends with different approaches have emerged in North America and Europe: postmodern archival science and contemporary diplomatics, respectively. The first one was introduced by Terry Cook, who proposed a reformulation of the basic concepts and the functional analysis method focusing on the process and context of document creation. The second approach originated in Italy and incorporated all the theoretical and methodological models of classic diplomatics. The studies following this new trend were disseminated by Luciana Duranti and aimed to ensure the production, access and use of the documentation generated in the present times focusing on document typology, as opposed by the postmodern approach. The purpose of this study is to elucidate the connection points and distinct features between the two trends concerning the organization of archival knowledge.

Aboutness in Fiction: Methodological Perspectives for Knowledge Organization

The subject analysis of narrative texts of fiction is complex; the methodological model of identification of concepts as elaborated for scientific texts is not applicable to fiction. It is proposed here that theoretical and methodological use of the Generative Trajectory of Meaning postulated by Greimas may contribute to the identification of aboutness in narrative texts of fiction.

Archival Classification and Knowledge Organization: Theoretical Possibilities for the Archival Field

The main goal of this study is to outline a possible relation between archival classification and knowledge organization theory. In this sense, we seek to contribute to the conceptual classification in Archival Science, since there is a lack of systematization about archival classification; not just classification, but even the study of historical and conceptual aspects of the discipline. In the context of knowledge organization there is a considerable amount of research on how to build classification schemes and indexing systems that can help contribute to and expand archival classification theory. In order to comprehend this vast field of theories and methodologies we construct a parallel comparing the classification concepts in both areas and analyzing these concepts.

Theoretical Referents in Knowledge Organization: A Domain Analysis of the Knowledge Organization Journal

Aiming at contributing to the epistemological characterization of the area of knowledge organization, our goal is to analyze the KO journal, since its creation in 1993, as a knowledge domain, from a nuclear community of the most productive and greater impact authors, analyzing the dialogue among citing authors and cited ones, and also the co-citations established by the citing authors. We worked with a corpus of 310 articles published between 1993 and 2011 produced by a total of 360 authors. The relatively more productive authors, a group geographically concentrated in Europe (37%), North America (44%) and Asia (19%), is clearly explained by the historical European origin of the ISKO and by an increasing North American presence along the years. Of the 33 most cited authors, 22 were co-cited in at least 6 works, which suggests that they are the theoretical referential nucleus of the area, in the studied journal. Finally, we observe that the area reveals theme cohesion and coherence in its production, enabling us to clearly visualize its theoretical referential nucleus and to confirm the role performed by the KO magazine as a catalyzing agent of international theoretical construction in the area.

The Relationship between Authors and Main Thematic Categories in the Field of Knowledge Organization: A Bibliometric Approach

This is a study about the relationships between authors and the main thematic categories in the papers published in the last five International ISKO Conferences, held between 2002 and 2010. The aim is to map the domain as ISKO conferences are considered the most representative forum in the field. The published papers are considered to indicate the relationships between authors and themes. The Classification Scheme for Knowledge Organization Error! Bookmark not defined Literature (CSKOL) was used to categorize the papers. The theoretical and methodological foundations of the study can be found in the concept of domain analysis proposed by Hjorland. The analysis of the papers (n=146) led to the identification of the most productive authors, the networks representing the relationships between the authors as also the categories that constitute the primary areas of research.

Knowledge Organization in Transmedia Fictional Worlds: A Study of Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, Marvel Universe, and Star Wars

Currently there is no structured data standard for representing elements commonly found in transmedia fictional universes. There are websites dedicated to individual universes, however, information found on these sites separates the various formats into books, movies, comics, etc.; concentrate on only the bibliographic aspects of the material; and are only full-text searchable. We have created an ontological model that will allow researchers, fans, brand managers, and creators to search for and retrieve the information contained in these worlds based on how they are structured. We conducted a domain analysis and user studies based on the contents of Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, the Marvel Universe, and Star Wars in order to build a new model using the Ontology Web Language (OWL) and an artificial intelligence reasoning engine. This model can infer connections between characters, elements of power, items, places, events, etc. This model will facilitate better search and retrieval of the information contained within these vast story universes for all users interested in them. The result of this project is and OWL ontology that is intuitive for users; can be used by AI systems; and has been updated to reflect real user needs based on user research.

Proceedings from North American Symposium on Knowledge Organization, Vol. 3

In this volume are represented the proceedings of the Third North American Symposium on Knowledge Organization held at Ryerson University in Toronto Canada on June 16-17, 2011. It contains 21 papers and one abstract.

Toward a Taxonomy of Harmin Knowledge Organization Systems

A starting point for contributing to the greater good is to examine and interrogate existing knowledge organization practices that do harm, whether that harm is intentional or accidental, or an inherent and unavoidable evil. As part of the transition movement, the authors propose to inventory the manifestations and implications of the production of suffering by knowledge organization systems through constructing a taxonomy of harm. Theoretical underpinnings guide ontological commitment, as well as the recognition of the problem of harm in knowledge organization systems. The taxonomy of harm will be organized around three main questions: what hap- pens?, who participates?, and who is affected and how? The aim is to heighten awareness of the violence that classifications and naming practices carry, to unearth some of the social conditions and motivations that contribute to and are reinforced by knowledge organization systems, and to advocate for intentional and ethical knowledge organization practices to achieve a minimal level of harm.