IAOA Summer Institute on Upper Ontologies: Call for Participation (Aug 8-11, 2017, Toronto, Canada)

[Frank Loebe]

The International Association for Ontology and its Applications (IAOA) is announcing the 2017 Summer Institute:

   UPPER ONTOLOGIES          --> !! REGISTER by July 17, 2017 !!
   August 8-11, 2017
   Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Website:
http://ontologforum.org/index.php/SummerInstitute2017

Updates in this call:  + preliminary programme
                       + 1 facilitator
                       + registration deadline: July 17, 2017

== Scope ==

Within the Applied Ontology community, upper ontologies are widely recognized as tools to support the tasks of ontology design and semantic integration. At the first Ontology Summit in 2006, the designers of several prominent upper ontologies were joined by key ontology technology participants, with the purpose of finding a means to relate the different ontologies to each other. In the decade since that meeting, the development and application of upper ontologies has continued, yet many challenges remain.

The 2017 IAOA Summer Institute will explore the following topics:
- What are the foundational choices and the practical motivations of present upper ontologies?
- What is the range of concepts that should be covered in an upper ontology?
- What are the relationships among upper ontologies?
- How do we evaluate upper ontologies?
- Using upper ontologies for semantic integration
- Using upper ontologies for ontology design
- Discussion of proposals for ISO 21838 (Top-Level Ontologies): content and consensus-building methodology


== Preliminary Programme ==

DAY 1: Conceptual Underpinnings of Upper Ontologies
Discussions will focus on the foundational choices of present upper ontologies, as well as the range of concepts that should be covered in an upper ontology.

DAY 2: Applications of Upper Ontologies
The second day will look at applications of upper ontologies, such as semantic integration and ontology design. We will also consider whether upper ontologies deliver on their purported benefits.

DAY 3: Relationships among Upper Ontologies
In light of the discussions about the applications of upper ontologies, the third day will identify limitations of existing upper ontologies and explore possible extensions. We will also discuss the relationships among the different upper ontologies.

DAY 4: Synthesis
The last day will look at what's in the future for upper ontologies.

Further details and updates at
http://ontologforum.org/index.php/SummerInstitute2017#Programme


== Facilitators ==

* Stefano Borgo
    Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, Trento, Italy
* Michael Gruninger
    University of Toronto, Canada
* Nicola Guarino
    Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies, Trento, Italy
* Barry Smith
    University at Buffalo, New York, USA


== Participation ==

Participants from all sectors of applied ontology are invited to interact from August 8 to 11, in Toronto, Canada. As always, the Summer Institute will challenge the state of the art through lively discussions and hands-on problem solving rather than lengthy presentations.

   --> REGISTER BY July 17, 2017 in order to participate.

Registration page:
http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/events/iaoa-summer-institute-2017/

The registration fee is 500 CAD, which in USD or EUR likely amounts to a value in the range of 350-400 USD or 325-350 EUR, respectively.


== Contact ==

Michael Gruninger
http://stl.mie.utoronto.ca/gruninger.html