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LBSC 670 Information Organization

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Today Representation wrap-up Touching base on XSL Guest Speaker Roy Tennant Classification Overview & History Related concepts Examples

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Representation wrap-up Metadata is a core element of digital information Representations are essential elements of information use Representations serve different purposes and as such need different structures (schemas) and forms (encodings) Metadata services bring scale to Information organization practice

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Classification The determination and encoding of aboutness for a document Words have power, classification systems exist within a socio-political context Manual/automatic, Pre/Post coordinate, Hierarchical/faceted, formal/social The determination and encoding of aboutness for a document Words have power, classification systems exist within a socio-political context Manual/automatic, Pre/Post coordinate, Hierarchical/faceted, formal/social

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Classification is power The idea of a category is central... Most symbols (i.e., words & representations) do not designate particular things or individuals in the world... Most of our words & concepts designate categories. There is nothing more basic than categorization to our though, perception, action & speech. Every time we see something as a kind of thing, for example, a tree, we are categorizing. George Lakoff, Women,Fire, and Dangerous Things: What categories reveal about the mind

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Any time we either produce or understand an utterance of any reasonable length, we are employing dozens if not hundreds of categories: categories of speech sounds, of words, of phrases and clauses, as well as conceptual categories. (Lakoff, 6). Taxonomies are reflections of human thought; they express our most fundamental concepts about the objects of our universe (Wright, 23).

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Classification Definitions The arrangement of knowledge into specific groups or systems wur.nlwur.nl A classification is the separation or ordering of objects (or specimens) into classes. Classifications that are created non-empirically are called a priori classifications. Classifications that are created empirically by looking at the data are called a posteriori classifications ee.oulu.fiee.oulu.fi Lumping & splitting based on a root or principle Weinberger

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Classification Roots Foundation of knowledge Embedded in nature / human nature Related disciplines Psychology, cognitive science Education Library/information science Knowledge Management

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Grounding Memes (Richard Dawkins) Transfer of concept between members of a group (bees dancing) Collective intelligence Knowledge of networks is greater than sum of individuals Stigmergy (Grasse) Coding of information in environment

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Cross-cultural similarities Wilson & Epigenetic rules Changes in how we behave based on environmental impact Primary (perception) & secondary (grouping) Cecil Brown, Berlin & Folk classifications Hierarchies, Groupings of 5-6 nested categories Concept of real names - Rose versus plant Binary discrimination (differentiation) Lateralization (grouping objects together)

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Berlins levels of classification NameDescriptionExample Unique BeginnerBroad/abstractComputer Life formFirst order, multiple members Apple computer GenericPrimary category usually with a unique name Macbook SpecificSecondary name, uses a qualifier Macbook Air VarietalFinal level of granularity1.8Ghz, 64GBSSD Macbook Air AffiliateMeta-category, horizontal relationship Laptop Adapted from Wright, 2007

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History - Aristotle (384-322 BCE) Pure form Physical/behavioral traits Clear boundaries, hierarchies, relationships Commonly held until 19 th century

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Aristotles Categories 10 Categories Substance Quality Quantity Relation Where When Position Having Action Passion 5 Predicables Genus that part of the essence shared by distinct species Species a group of things similar in essence Differentia that part of the essence peculiar to a given species Property an attribute shared by all members of a species but not part of its essence Accident An attribute shared by some but not all

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Callimachus (305-240 BC) Epic, and other non dramatic poetry Drama Law Philosophy History Oratory Medicine Mathematical science Natural Science Miscellanea Poet, critic, and scholar of the Library of Alexandria, created a bibliography (pinakes) of works in the library

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Linnaeus (1707-1778) Linnaean Taxonomy An exampleAn example Basis Structural similarities of organisms Plants, Animals,Minerals Contrasting models Cladistics (evolution / Darwin)Cladistics Molecular phylogeny treetree An overview of approachesapproaches

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Linnaean taxonomy

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Barcode of Life Initiative (BOLI) In the news as: WASHINGTON (AP) - To help shoppers avoid mislabeled toxic pufferfish and pilots steer clear of birds, federal agencies are starting to tap into an ambitious project that is gathering DNA ``barcodes'' for the Earth's 1.8 million known species. Interesting comments: In more than 95% of cases, species recognized through past taxonomic work have been found to possess distinct barcodes. A few very similar species share barcodes, reflecting cases where barcoding does not provide full taxonomic resolution. Links http://www.barcodeoflife.org/http://www.barcodeoflife.org/ http://barcoding.si.edu/http://barcoding.si.edu/ http://www.fishbol.org/http://www.fishbol.org/

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Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) The limits of my language mean the limits of my world from Internet dictionary of philosophy from Internet dictionary of philosophy Meaning is contextual (personal, social) and conveyed through language Game Theory Players, rules, strategies, outcomes, benefits

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Eleanore Rosch (1938- ) Prototype Theory The idea of best form without absolute restriction E.g. a robin is a prototype of a bird Family resemblance model Categorization is about saving cognitive effort on the fly relationship judgments Contextualized meaning, information use A basic category/prototype allows us to make relationship judgments at an appropriate level

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S.R. Ranganathan (1897-1972) Ranganathan Like Linnaeus, didnt want to be a librarian took the job for the pay. 5 Laws of Library science Books are for use. Every reader his or her book. Every book its reader. Save the time of the reader. The library is a growing organism. Colon Classification first faceted classification system

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Colon classification system (1) PMESTExamples Personality Furniture(?) MatterWood(?) EnergyDesign(?) SpaceAmerica(?) Time18 th Century(?)

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Colon Classification system (2) Analytico-Synthetic Analysis: Discover basic concepts Synthesis: Combine discrete parts into a classification system An example from UBC L,45;421:6;253:f.44N5UBC An outline from ISKOAn outline from ISKO L,45;421: Medicine,Lungs;Tuberculosis: 6;253:f.44N5 Treatment;X-ray:Research.India1950

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Theoretical concepts Ambiguity / disambiguation Homogeneity / heterogeneity Specificity / Exhaustiveness Lumping / Splitting Mutual exclusivity Bifurcation

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Models of classification Based on descriptive metadata Alphabetical, chronological, geographic, element (title, author, etc) Topical / Subject based LCSH, ACM, etc Task/action Ebay buyers/sellers Audience / user centric The Imaginon, Library LoftImaginonLibrary Loft Metaphor The desktop metaphor for example, Second LifeSecond Life Hybrid models

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Work Time! Tonight we will explore the application of classification systems. INLS 520 Fall 2007 Erik Mitchell

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Types of systems Enumerative systems Lists of objects grouped under headings DDC, UDC, LCC Hierarchical systems Entries based on a tree structure, inheritance, child/descendant/ancestor Top-down, bottom-up Taxonomies (tree structures, XML) Faceted systems Multiple relationships Ontologies (typed relationships) think RDF Miscellaneous systems Folksonomies Del.icio.us, furl, flickrDel.icio.usflickr

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Classification Scheme Components Schedule, the system the classification schema ACM: http://www.acm.org/class/1998/ccs98.htmlhttp://www.acm.org/class/1998/ccs98.html Genes: http://www.biosci.ohio- state.edu/~genomes/mthermo/mthermo_files/classes_table.htmlhttp://www.biosci.ohio- state.edu/~genomes/mthermo/mthermo_files/classes_table.html tables, generally help you to synthesize build number IISD: http://www.iisd.org/ic/classification.asphttp://www.iisd.org/ic/classification.asp Fruit fly: http://www.sel.barc.usda.gov/diptera/tephriti/Clastabl.htm http://www.sel.barc.usda.gov/diptera/tephriti/Clastabl.htm Notation the symbols used to codify your classification Subject coverage / domain general (e.g. DDC) or subject specific (e.g. ACM) Bugnet: http://bugguide.net/node/view/15740 http://bugguide.net/node/view/15740

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Hunters classification process (1) Eight steps to creating a classification system (steps 1-4) AnalysisLook at relevant concepts, identify topics, refinements, attributes GroupingGroup concepts into larger categories, extract facets or primary topics Order in arrayDefine any required order (hierarchies) Citation orderDefine hierarchy of concepts to create a citation

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INLS 520 Fall 2007 Erik Mitchell Hunters classification process (1) Schedule orderUsing array and citation order decide how to lay out main classification NotationDefine separation between concepts, order of elements, syntax IndexCreate views, Pre/Post coordinate, allows multiple use of system DocumentDocumentation Eight steps to creating a classification system (steps 5-8)

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Enumerative Examples Dewey Decimal (really a hybrid) BULB LINK (DDC)BULB LINK (DDC) Universal Decimal Classification (also a hybrid) http://www.udcc.org/outline/outline.htmhttp://www.udcc.org/outline/outline.htm Mathematical Subject Classification http://www.ams.org/mathweb/mi- mathbyclass.htmlhttp://www.ams.org/mathweb/mi- mathbyclass.html

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Super-ordinate and sub-ordinate Genus/species Class/member More flexible application in classification systems than in terminological tools (thesauri, ontologies, etc.) Yahoo! example: Directory > Science > Computer Science > Artificial Intelligence > Fuzzy LogicDirectory ScienceComputer Science Artificial Intelligence Hierarchical Systems

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Hierarchical/Enumerative examples LC Headings History History of the Americas British America Canada Scientific history ...... ACM E. Data E.2 Data Storage Representations Object Representations

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Definitions: One side of a many sided body (OED) Basis Analytico-synthetic System: Fundamental concepts are analyzed and grouped together into facets Concepts are combined or synthesized as necessary to form more complex subjects Faceted Classification Systems

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Flamenco Project http://flamenco.berkeley.edu/index.htmlhttp://flamenco.berkeley.edu/index.html AAT (Art and Architecture Thesaurus)AAT The conceptual framework of facets and hierarchies in the AAT is designed to allow a general classification scheme for art and architecture. The framework is not subject-specific; for example, there is no defined portion of the AAT that is specific only for Renaissance painting. from AAT sitefrom AAT site Associated Concepts, Physical Attributes, Styles and Periods, Agents, Activities, Materials, Objects Faceted Classification Examples

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Miscellaneous Systems User assigned tags not really classification. Is structured classification is really as good as we think? Is this as good / better? Del.icio.usDel.icio.us FlickrFlickr

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Next Week Guest speaker Talk more about Classification/Categorization Look at other systems & uses Barbara H. Kwasnik. 1999. The role of classification in knowledge representation and discovery. Olson. 2001. Sameness and difference: A cultural foundation of classification.45, - Shirkey. 2006. Ontology is overrated: Categories, links, and tags