Description of the workshop
Methods of automated reasoning have solved a large number of problems in Computer Science by using formal ontologies expressed in logic. Over the years, though, each problem or class of problems has required a different ontology, and sometimes a different version of logic. Moreover, the processes of conceiving, controlling and maintaining an ontology and its versions have turned out to be inherently complex. All this has motivated much investigation in a wide range of disparate disciplines - from logic-based Knowledge Representation and Reasoning to Software Engineering, from Databases to Multimedia - about how to relate ontologies to one another.
ARCOE-09 aims at bringing together researchers and practitioners from core areas of Artificial Intelligence (Knowledge Representation and Reasoning, Contexts, and Ontologies) to discuss these kinds of problems and relevant results. Historically, there have been at least three different, yet interdependent motivations behind this type of research: defining the relationship between an ontology and its context, providing support to ontology engineers, enhancing problem solving and communication for software agents.
Ontology and Context. Most application areas have recognized the need for representing and reasoning about knowledge that is distributed over many resources. Such knowledge depends on its context, i.e., on the syntactic and/or semantic structure of such resources. Research on information integration, distributed knowledge management, the semantic web, multi-agent and distributed reasoning have pinned down different aspects of how ontologies relate to and/or develop within their context.
Ontology Engineering. Ontology engineers are not supposed to succeed right from the beginning when (individually or collaboratively) developing an ontology. Despite their expertise and any assistance from domain experts, revision cycles are the rule. Research on the automation of the process of engineering an ontology has improved efficiency and reduced the introduction of unintended meanings by means of interactive ontology editors. Moreover, ontology matching has studied the process of manual, off-line alignment of two or more known ontologies.
Problem Solving and Communication for Agents. Agents that communicate with one another without having full access to their respective ontologies or that are programmed to face new non-classifiable situations must change their own ontology dynamically at run-time - they cannot rely on human intervention. Research on this problem has either concentrated on non-monotonic reasoning and belief revision or on changes of signature, i.e., of the grammar of the ontology's language, with a minimal disruption to the original theory.
ARCOE-09 will provide a multi-disciplinary forum, where differences in methodologies, representation languages and techniques are over-arched and hopefully overcome. Accordingly, the workshop will be structured into four tracks: three of them will focus on specific areas, the fourth one will foster links and integration.
Track 1: Context and Ontology
This track will select and present works about Context and Ontology, a well-established research area that has mainly concentrated on the relationship between contexts and ontologies for distributed information and for the enhancement of software agents.
Track 2: Common Sense and Non-Monotonic Reasoning for Ontologies
This track will select and present works about logic-based Knowledge Representation and Reasoning, a classic area of AI, which since its origins has produced remarkable results on logic-based methods for supporting knowledge engineers and for enhancing software agents.
Track 3: Automated Ontology Evolution
This track will select and present works about Automated Ontology Evolution, an area which in recent years has been drawing the attention of Artificial Intelligence and Knowledge Representation and Reasoning on the automation of ontology evolution.
Track 4: Links and integration
This track will foster links and integration by means of invited talks and (panel) discussions. Topics that are likely to be covered are: the formalisation of software engineering concepts for ontology development; the relationship between automated reasoning and information retrieval; relationships between representation languages; relationships between canonical domains; relationships between contexts and ontology evolution and between Non-Monotonic Reasoning and ontology evolution. Prof. Deborah McGuinness and prof. Franz Baader have recently accepted ARCOE-09's invitation to deliver an invited talk. The titles of their contributions will be made available after the submission deadline.
ARCOE-09 will bring the participants to position the various approaches with respect to one another. Hopefully, though the workshop will also start a process of cross-pollination and set out the constitution of a truly interdisciplinary research-community dedicated to automated reasoning about contexts and ontology evolution.
Workshop Topics of Interest
Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
Track 1: Context and Ontology
Submissions are welcome on the role of context and ontology in areas that include but are not limited to the following ones:
- Information Integration
- The role of context and ontology in Distributed Reasoning and Knowledge Management
- The role of context and ontology in Semantic Web
- Multi-Agent Systems
- Data Grid and Grid Computing
- Pervasive Computing and Ambient Intelligence
- Peer-to-peer Information Systems
- Comparison of uses of contexts and ontologies
Track 2: Common Sense and Non-Monotonic Reasoning for Ontologies
Submissions are welcome on the role of common sense and non-monotonic reasoning for ontologies in areas that include but are not limited to the following ones:
- Ontology Debugging, Update and Merging
- Inconsistency Handling, Belief Revision and Theory Change for DL ontologies
- Uncertainty Handling, Defeasible Reasoning and Argumentation in ontologies
- Heuristic and Approximate Reasoning
- Planning and Reasoning about Action and Change on the Semantic Web
- Rules and Ontologies
- Temporal and Spatial Reasoning
Track 3: Automated Ontology Evolution
Submissions are welcome on the role of automated ontology evolution in areas that include but are not limited to the following ones:
- Ontology fault diagnosis and repair
- Problem Solving
- Agent Communication
- Persistent Agents in Changing Environment
- Multimedia on the Web
- IT and Automated Reasoning
Attendance
Following IJCAI-09 policy, the total number of participants in ARCOE-09 will be limited to 75 people. This includes organizers, PC members, invited speakers, authors and attendees. Authors will be selected on significance of their submission and will be preferred on simple attendees. Attendees will be selected on a first-come-first-served basis. Please check http://ijcai-09.org for application procedure and fees.
Important Dates 
| Abstract submission: | |
| Notification: | |
| Camera ready: | |
| Early registration: | |
| Late registration: | June 12, 2009 |
| Workshop: | July 11-12, 2009 |
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