High-level goals and low-level systems: how can computers help solving complex problems? Piek Vossen and Roxane Segers VU University Amsterdam KYOTO (ICT-211423) Yielding Ontologies for Transition-Based Organization FP7: Intelligent Content and

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High-level goals and low-level systems how can
computers help solving complex problems?Piek
Vossen and Roxane SegersVU University
AmsterdamKYOTO (ICT-211423)Yielding Ontologies
for Transition-Based OrganizationFP7
Intelligent Content and Semantics
http//www.kyoto-project.eu/1st Kyoto workshop
Environmental Knowledge Transition and
ExchangeFebruary, 2-3, 2009, Artis Amsterdam
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Overview

• 1. analysis of the user questions
• (provided by ECNC and WWF)
• a. clear cases
• b. unclear cases and possible solutions
• 2. Concepts and relations
• 3. Discussion how to use knowledge discovery to
  answer complex questions

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Analysis of the user questions

• ?Total of 330 questions from WWF and ECNC.
• ? Analysis of question type (what, where, who,
  when, how etc).
• ? Words that express the relation that is asked
  for

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Classification of questions

• Finding Definitions, e.g.
• What are the drivers?
• What are ecosystem services?
• Pin-Pointing Sources
• Where are biodiversity hotspots?
• Who is an expert on biodiversity?
• Information Retrieval, e.g.
• What is the current status of a specie?
• What are the most recent countings of a certain
  specie?
• Examples (of best practices), e.g.
• Best practices of resource management in poor
  area's?
• Are there examples of nature conservation and
  poverty elivation?
• What are good examples of E.S.?
• High level questions, e.g.
• What are the key biodiversity indicators in a
  certain area?
• What is the effect of climate change and species
  diversity?
• What is the impact of declining bee populations
  on agricultural productivity?
• Which rare and threatened species/ecosystems are
  people most dependent on for economic benefits?

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Baseline retrieval results 30 high-level
questions,
Result Rank CONFIRMED   CONFIRMED   DISAPPROVED   DISAPPROVED   UNDECIDED   UNDECIDED   Total   Total  
0 13 20.31 27 20.30 10 15.87 50 19.23
1 6 9.38 9 6.77 9 14.29 24 9.23
2 8 12.50 13 9.77 7 11.11 28 10.77
3 5 7.81 6 4.51 3 4.76 14 5.38
4 8 12.50 6 4.51 2 3.17 16 6.15
5 2 3.13 7 5.26 3 4.76 12 4.62
6 2 3.13 6 4.51 4 6.35 12 4.62
7 2 3.13 2 1.50 1 1.59 5 1.92
8 4 6.25 3 2.26 1 1.59 8 3.08
9 1 1.56 5 3.76 0 0.00 6 2.31
-1 13 20.31 49 36.84 23 36.51 85 32.69
Total 64 24.62 133 51.15 63 24.23 260  
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Some numbers

• Example of question analysis
• What is the effect of poverty on biodiversity?
  causes
• How can sustainable financing influence
  livelihood? causes
• What is 41.2
• How 23.9
• What/Which 16.9
• Auxiliary verbs 9.3
• Where 3.9
• Why 1.2
• When 0.6
• Who 0.6

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Some overall remarks

• Relative frequent relation words express causes,
  increases, purposes and threats.
• ? Almost no variation in how these relation
  words are expressed in the questions.
• causes effect, impact, influence, affect
• increases improve, increase, enhance
• purposes role, function, point
• threats threat

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What is/are questions (41.2)

• ? What is/are (a/the) NPterm ? definition
  (20)
• What is biodiversity?
• What are rural products?
• ? What is/are the
• most frequent
• What is the state of x
• What is the role of x
• What is the relation between x and y
• What is the impact/effect/influence of x on y
• What is the state of farmland birds in Europe?
• What is the impact of declining bee populations
  on agricultural productivity?
• What are the effects of biodiversity on human
  health?
• Variant exist
• What policy instruments and legislation exist to
  conserve biodiversity?

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How questions (23.0)

• ? How degree/measure (11/79)
• How many NP
• How many species have become extinct in Europe
  since 1950? (number)
• How much VP (finance)
• How much can I economise on pest control by
  applying AFB? (percentage)
• How adjective
• How big is the problem of Illegal Unreported
  Unregulated Fishing? (gradable)
• ? How manner ( 69/79)
• How to/how can I verb
• How can I create a green roof?
• How to involve stakeholders in the designation
  of ecological networks?
• How can NP relational verb NP
• How can cooperation with the local community
  help to improve livelihood?
• How do NP relational verb NP
• How does climate change affect species
  migration?

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Which/what questions (16.9)

• which/what noun
• Without exception questions that will be answered
  with a list of items
• Which species use stepping stones? ?
  (list of species)
• Which countries in Europe have a coordinated
  monitoring programme? ? (list of countries)
• What loans are available for my pro biodiversity
  business? ? (list of available loans)
• What projects relate to the science policy
  interface? ? (list of projects)

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Questions starting with auxiliairy verbs (9.3)

• Without exception yes/no questions
• real yes/no questions
• Is there any BB in Cumbria?
• Does the European investment bank have a pro
  biodiversity business programme?
• false yes/no questions
• Are there any examples of business and
  biodiversity indicators? ? list of examples
• Is the creation of protected areas an effective
  way to ensure ecological connectivity? ? arguments

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Where questions (3.9)

• Where can I find/see (10/14) ? questions about
  where certain information can be found
• Where can I find information about starting an
  ecotourism business?
• Where can I see maps of red list species?
• Where are ? location (4/14)
• Where are the eco-ducts located in Europe?

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Difficult causal relations (no search results)

• What is the impact of dogs on wildlife?
• Canine x Process (spreading disease, hunting?)
• Organism x Process (decreasing?)
• What is the effect of hedgerows on air quality?
• Artefact x Process
• Attribute x Process (Pollution?)

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Association

• What is the effect of hedgerows on air quality?

HEDGEROW
AIR QUALITY
soil erosion
wildlife corridor
air pollution
aerosols
biodiversity
biodiversity
aerosols
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Decomposition of a high level question
hedgerows
air quality
capture, interception
role
aerosols
airborne particles
hyponym
hyponym
dust
smog
aerosols
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What does it take?

• Extract all events and properties involving
  hedgerows ? direct relations, causal chains,
  roles, etc.
• Extract all events and properties involving air
  quality ? direct relations, causal chains, roles,
  etc
• Do the same for any synonyms, hyponyms
  co-hyponyms, or hyperonyms
• Extract dates and locations for events and
  properties
• Try to intersect and quantify the results

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Small preliminary domain model

• Are there huge negative effects with regard to
  eco-networks and alien invasive species?

eco-network
Area
core area
breeding pond
buffer area
area connector
migration corridor commuting corridor dispersal
corridor
stepping stone
corridor
Cultural hedgerow canal stonewall
Natural watercourses rivers coastlines
bird migration corridor terrestrial dispersal
corridor
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Versions of KYOTO

• KYOTO-1
• extract all countings of species populations in
  regions for dates and periods
• KYOTO-2
• changes in numbers of species and sizes of
  populations, temporal relations and causal
  relations
• KYOTO-3
• to be determined....