REGNETREGNET

Gloria LauKincho LawEngineering Informatics Group, Stanford University

An Information Infrastructure for An Information Infrastructure for Comparing Accessibility Regulations and Comparing Accessibility Regulations and Related Information from Multiple SourcesRelated Information from Multiple Sources

22

MotivationMotivation Multiple sources of regulations

Multiple jurisdictions: federal, state, local, etc. Different formats, terminologies, contexts Amending rules, conflicting ideas

Need for a repository Locate relevant information E.g., small business: penalty fees for violations

Need for analysis tool Complexity of regulations

Multiple jurisdictions Understanding of regulations & their relationships

33

Example: Related but Conflicting Example: Related but Conflicting ProvisionsProvisionsADAAG 4.7.2

Slope. …Transitions from ramps to walks, gutters, or streets shall be flush and free of abrupt changes…

CBC 1127B.5.5Beveled lip. The lower end of each curb ramp shall have a ½ inch (13mm) lip beveled at 45 degrees as a detectable way-finding edge for persons with visual impairments.

ADAAG focuses on wheelchair traversal; CBC focuses on the visually impaired when using a cane.

44Relatedness analysis

Repository development

ScopeScope

generic features

domain-specific features

shallow parser

regulations in HTML, PDF,plain text, etc

feature extractor

Ontology

XML regulations

measurements exceptions definitions

Semio

concepts

author-prescribed

indicesglossary termsrefined XML regulations

DomainExpert

chemicals

effective dates

Similarity Analysis Core

domain knowledge

score refinements

feature matching

measurements

concepts

effective dates

drinking watercontaminants

base score

neighbor inclusion

reference distribution

refined score

discard belowthreshold pairs

related pairs

author-prescribed

indices

ontology (synonymicinformation) . . .

refined XMLregulations

. . .

domain-specificscoring algorithm

+

Repository development Relatedness analysis Results and applications

55

Repository developmentRepository development

generic features

domain-specific features

shallow parser

regulations in HTML, PDF,plain text, etc

feature extractor

Ontology

XML regulations

measurements exceptions definitions

Semio

concepts

author-prescribed

indicesglossary termsrefined XML regulations

DomainExpert

chemicals

effective dates

66

Digital publication of regulationsDigital publication of regulations Current standard: HTML, PDF, plain text... Our system standard: XML

Recreate regulatory structure Unit of extraction: section/provision Extract references Extract features

<regulation id="ibc" name="international building code" type="private"> <regElement id="ibc.1107" name="special occupancies"> … <regElement id="ibc.1107.2" name=“assembly area seating"> <reference id="ibc.1107.2.4.1" times="1" /> <concept name="assembl area" times="1" /> … <regText>Assembly areas with fixed seating shall comply … </regText> <regElement id="ibc.1107.2.1" name="services">...</regElement> <regElement id="ibc.1107.2.2" name=“wheelchair …">...</regElement> </regElement> </regElement></regulation>

77

Feature ExtractionFeature ExtractionOriginal Section 4.6.3 from the UFAS

4.6.3* PARKING SPACES. Parking spaces for disabled people shall be at least 96 in (2440 mm) wide and shall have an adjacent access aisle 60 in (1525 mm) wide minimum (see Fig. 9). Parking access aisles shall be part of ...EXCEPTION: … an adjacent access aisle at least 96 in (2440 mm) wide complying with 4.5...

Refined Section 4.6.3 in XML format<regElement name=”ufas.4.6.3” title=”parking spaces” asterisk=”1”> <concept name=”access aisl” num=”3” /> … <indexTerm name=”park space” num=”4” /> <measurement unit=”inch” magnitude=”96” quantifier=”min” /> <ref name=”ufas.4.5” num=”1” /> <regText> Parking spaces for disabled people shall ... </regText> <exception> If accessible parking spaces for ... </exception></regElement>

88

Related elements: door and entrance

Relatedness analysisRelatedness analysis

Similarity Analysis Core

domain knowledge

score refinements

feature matching

measurements

concepts

effective dates

drinking watercontaminants

base score

neighbor inclusion

reference distribution

refined score

discard belowthreshold pairs

related pairs

author-prescribed

indices

ontology (synonymicinformation) . . .

refined XMLregulations

. . .

domain-specificscoring algorithm

+

ADAAG4.1.6(3)(d) Doors(i) Where it is technically infeasible to comply with clear opening width requirements of 4.13.5, a projection ...

 UFAS4.14.1 Minimum NumberEntrances required to be accessible by 4.1 shall be part of an accessible route and shall comply with ...

99

Relatedness analysisRelatedness analysis

f (0, 1)A U

ADAAG UFAS

parent

sibling

child

psc(A) psc(U) ref(U)

child node

reference node

nodes in comparison

Base Score f0 Linear combination of

features Neighbor inclusion

Diffusion of similarity between clusters of nodes

Reference distribution Diffusion of similarity between referenced nodes and referencing nodes

Similarity Analysis Core

score refinements

feature matching

measurements

concepts

effective dates

drinking watercontaminants

base score

neighbor inclusion

reference distribution

refined score

author-prescribed

indices

. . .

+

1010

Results of comparisons : UFAS vs. BS8300Results of comparisons : UFAS vs. BS8300

4.13 Doors 12.5.4 Doors

4.13.9Door Hardware

12.5.4.2Door Furniture

12.5.4.14.13.1

4.13.3

4.13.2

4.13.12

UFAS BS8300

parent

sibling

Terminological differences - revealed through neighbor inclusion

Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards 4.13.9 Door Hardware 4.13 Doors 4.13.1 General ... 4.13.9 Door Hardware Handles, pulls, latches, locks, and other operating devices on accessible doors shall have a shape that is easy to grasp with one hand and does not require tight grasping ...

... 4.13.12 Door Opening Force

British Standard 8300 12.5.4.2 Door Furniture 12.5.4 Doors 12.5.4.1 Clear Widths of Door Openings 12.5.4.2 Door Furniture Door handles on hinged and sliding doors in accessible bedrooms should be easy to grip and operate by a wheelchair user or ambulant disabled person ...

1111

Application domain: e-rulemaking Comparison between draft of rules and the associated

public comments ADAAG Chapter 11, rights-of-way draft

Less than 15 pages Over 1400 public comments received within 4 months Comments ~ 10MB in size; most are several pages long New regulation draft can easily generate a huge amount of

data that needs to be reviewed and analyzed Parsing of the draft and comments

From HTML to XML Recreate structure of the draft using our shallow parser Extract features from the draft and comments Treat individual comments as provisions

Application: e-rulemakingApplication: e-rulemaking

1212

E-rulemakingE-rulemaking

Drafted regulations compared with public comments

Content ofSection 1105.4

6 Related Public Comments

1105.4 [6]

1313

Results from e-rulemaking applicationResults from e-rulemaking applicationADAAG Chapter 11 Rights-of-way Draft 1105.4.1 Length Where signal timing is inadequate for full crossing of all traffic lanes or where the crossing is not signalized, cut-through medians and pedestrian refuge islands shall be 72 inches (1830 mm) minimum in length in the direction of pedestrian travel.

Public Comment Deborah Wood, October 29, 2002 I am a member of The American Council of the Blind. I am writing to express my desire for the use of audible pedestrian traffic signals to become common practice. Traffic is becoming more and more complex, and many traffic signals are set up for the benefit of drivers rather than of pedestrians. This often means walk lights that are so short in duration that by the time a person who is blind realizes they have the light, the light has changed or is about to change ...

ADAAG Chapter 11 Rights-of-way Draft [None Retrieved] No relevant provision identified

Public Comment Donna Ring, September 6, 2002 If you become blind, no amount of electronics on your body or in the environment will make you safe and give back to you your freedom of movement. You have to learn modern blindness skills from a good teacher. You have to practice your new skills. Poor teaching cannot be solved by adding beeping lights to every big Street corner! I am blind myself. I travel to work in downtown Baltimore and back home every workday by myself. I go to meetings and ...

1414

ConclusionsConclusions A framework for regulatory repository

Structure of regulations recreated in XML Feature extractions

Prototype for similarity comparisons Contextual comparisons Domain knowledge Structural comparisons

Results and Applications Example of comparison results between US codes and

European standards Application on e-rulemaking

1515

Thank You!Thank You!