Inference Ontology

<p>Overview</p> <p>The diagrams showcase an inference ontology designed to model the provenance of any proposition or statement. Although originally developed within the context of the&nbsp;<a href="https://github.com/GOLEM-lab/golem-ontology">GOLEM framework</a>, which has since adopted a different approach, this module remains applicable across various digital humanities domains by focusing on the inference-making process for information, utilizing the <a href="https://www.cidoc-crm.org/crminf/fm_releases">CRMinf ontology.</a></p> <p>Scope<br>The Inference Module addresses three key aspects of inference:</p> <ul> <li>Source for Inference: The origin or basis of the inference.</li> <li>Method of Inference: The logic or methodology applied to derive the inference.</li> <li>Premise for Inference: Other statements or propositions that the inference is based on.</li> </ul> <p>Ontology (Diagram)<br>In this ontology, any statement is represented as crminf:I2_Belief. The formal representation of this belief is encapsulated in crminf:I4_Proposition_Set, which can be:</p> <ul> <li>A single RDF triple (atomic proposition).</li> <li>Multiple triples, or an entire knowledge graph (composite proposition).</li> </ul> <p>The core of these statements is structured based on the subject&ndash;predicate&ndash;object framework. RDF reification is employed to treat the entire statement as the subject in the inference triple.</p> <p>Key Components</p> <ul> <li>Belief: Concluded from the inference process, represented by crminf:I5_Inference_Making.</li> <li>Source of Inference: Defined by crm:E73_Information_Object, which may be a text, metadata, or any other form of information.</li> <li>Method of Inference: Captured by crminf:I3_Inference_Logic, which can be associated with crm:E55_Type to specify methods like manual annotation or machine learning.</li> <li>Premise: Other beliefs or statements upon which the inference relies, formalized by crminf:I4_Proposition_Set.</li> </ul> <p>Classes</p> <ul> <li>crminf:I2_Belief: Represents any proposition within the ontology.</li> <li>crminf:I4_Proposition_Set: The formal representation of a belief.</li> <li>crminf:I5_Inference_Making: The process of making an inference for any proposition.</li> <li>crminf:I3_Inference_Logic: The methodology or logic used in the inference.</li> <li>crm:E73_Information_Object: The source of inference, specified by subclasses such as lrm:F2_Expression for text or</li> <li>crm:E33_Linguistic_Object for metadata.</li> <li>rdf:Statement: Each crminf:I4_Proposition_Set is also an rdf:Statement, allowing specification of the subject, predicate, and object using rdf:subject, rdf:predicate, and rdf:object.</li> </ul> <p>Properties</p> <ul> <li>crminf:J4_that: Links a belief to its formal representation.</li> <li>crminf:J2_concluded_that: Links a belief to the inference that concluded this belief.</li> <li>crminf:J3_applies: Links an inference process to its method.</li> <li>crminf:J1_used_as_premise: Links the belief used as a premise for another belief.</li> <li>crm:P16_used_specific_object: Links the source to the inference process.</li> </ul> <p>Example: Relationship Inference (Diagram)<br>This example illustrates how relationships between characters are inferred based on events.</p> <ul> <li>Statement<br>Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley are involved in a romantic relationship. <ul> <li>Subject: romantic_love (dlp:relationship)</li> <li>Predicate: dlp:involves</li> <li>Object: Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley (gc:G1_Character)</li> <li>Inference Process</li> </ul> </li> <li>The inference-making process for this relationship statement includes: <ul> <li>Premise: The relationship is based on events. In this case, the premise is the event statement: "Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley participated in a kissing event during the Battle of Hogwarts."</li> <li>Method: This relationship was inferred based on ontology rules, specifically that the relationship forms based on events.</li> <li>Premise Belief: The premise belief (the kissing event) necessitates another inference process. This secondary inference process utilizes a textual source as evidence for the kissing event, which is a paragraph in the work "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows".</li> </ul> </li> <li>Premise Belief Inference <ul> <li>Event Statement: "Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley participated in a kissing event during the Battle of Hogwarts."</li> <li>Source: The source for this event is a crm:E73_Information_Object, potentially a text or metadata describing the event.</li> <li>Inference Method: This event is inferred through manual annotation of the text, which is linked via crminf:I3_Inference_Logic.</li> </ul> </li> </ul>