SME2Logic Translation- an initial approach

Peter ClarkBoeing Company

Claims• SMEs can build adequate, new representations by

“connecting pre-built components” together

– New representation defined largely in terms of existing ones

• To specify these connections, a small number of simple axiom types are adequate

• This provides a basis for a SME-usable interface

– Only need to support these “connection” axioms

Things the SME Might Say… • “A virus attack is a kind of invasion…• “…where the thing doing the attacking is a virus…• “…and the thing attacked is a cell…• “…The virus takes control by delivering…• “…its DNA to the cell…”

Things the SME Might Say… • “A virus attack is a kind of invasion…• “…where the thing doing the attacking is a virus…• “…and the thing attacked is a cell…• “…The virus takes control by delivering…• “…its DNA to the cell…”

Five Types of Assertions:• “create” : Placement in the taxonomy

Things the SME Might Say… • “A virus attack is a kind of invasion…• “…where the thing doing the attacking is a virus…• “…and the thing attacked is a cell…• “…The virus takes control by delivering…• “…its DNA to the cell…”

Five Types of Assertions:• “create” : Placement in the taxonomy• “specialize” : Restricting an object’s class/type

Things the SME Might Say… • “A virus attack is a kind of invasion…• “…where the thing doing the attacking is a virus…• “…and the thing attacked is a cell…• “…The virus takes control by delivering…• “…its DNA to the cell…”

Five Types of Assertions:• “create” : Placement in the taxonomy• “specialize” : Restricting an object’s class/type• “add” : Introduction of new concepts

Things the SME Might Say… • “A virus attack is a kind of invasion…• “…where the thing doing the attacking is a virus…• “…and the thing attacked is a cell…• “…The virus takes control by delivering…• “…its DNA to the cell…”

Five Types of Assertions:• “create” : Placement in the taxonomy• “specialize” : Restricting an object’s class/type• “add” : Introduction of new concepts• “connect” : Stating a relation between two concepts

Things the SME Might Say… • “A virus attack is a kind of invasion…• “…where the thing doing the attacking is a virus…• “…and the thing attacked is a cell…• “…The virus takes control by delivering…• “…its DNA to the cell…”

Five Types of Assertions:• “create” : Placement in the taxonomy• “specialize” : Restricting an object’s class/type• “add” : Introduction of new concepts• “connect” : Stating a relation between two concepts• “unify” : Coreference (equality)

“Displaying axioms” to the SME

• Approach: To present axioms about a concept C,

– SME doesn’t see the raw axioms directly

– Rather, SME sees an example I of C• Sees a set of ground facts about I

• sees the results of applying those axioms to I

• ground facts are comprehensible and graphable

• SME builds new concept by interacting with this and other examples

“Displaying axioms” to the SME: Example

defender(VirusInvade01, Object01).attacker(VirusInvade01, Agent01).defense(Object01, Barrier01).subevent(VirusInvade01, Arrive01).agent(Arrive01, Agent01).isa(Agent01, Agent).isa(Object01, Object).isa(Barrier01, Barrier).…

Ground Facts (computed fromaxioms about Invade)

Arrive

Object

Break Enter

VirusInvadeBarrier Agent

agent

attackerdefender

then then

subevents

defense

location agent

patientagent

agent

Ground Facts (graph)

New Concept: VirusInvadeIs a type of: Invade Create an instance (example) of Invade: VirusInvade01

How the SME Makes Assertions

• The SME manipulates instances in this representation, using four types of action

• Each action corresponds to a simple, ground assertion

• Any statements he/she makes about I will later be considered to hold for all instances of C

The SME Actions:

defender(VirusInvade01, Object01).attacker(VirusInvade01, Agent01).defense(Object01, Barrier01).isa(Agent01, Agent).isa(Object01, Object).isa(Barrier01, Barrier).…

Ground Facts (text)

Arrive

Object

Break Enter

VirusInvadeBarrier Agent

attackerdefender

then then

subevents

defense

location agent

patientagent

agent

Ground Facts (graph)

SPECIALIZE: isa(Object01, Cell)

ACTION ASSERTION

ADD:

UNIFY:

v isa(v,Virus)contains

DNA

Virus

Cell

isa(Virus01,Virus)

Agent01 = Virus01

agent

CONNECT: agent(Break01, Virus01)

Generalizing the SME’s assertions• SME’s assertion:

– “Object01 is a Cell”• Rephrase to only mention the root instance:

– “The defender of VirusInvade01 is a Cell”• Generalize:

– “The defender of all VirusInvades is a Cell”

In Logic:• SME’s assertion: isa(Object01, Cell)• Rephrase: x defender(VirusInvade01,x)

isa(x,Cell)• Generalize:

i isa(i,VirusInvade) x defender(i,x) isa(x,Cell)

“Graph-Editing” Issues• How to overcome limits of working with examples of concepts?

• some info undisplayable (“in cells, all lysosomes are in cytoplasm”)

• Some inexpressible (e.g., quantification, deletion/non-monotonicity)

• How to integrate testing?

• How can the SME find concepts in the library?

• How can we ensure the SME uses concepts in the intended way?

• How can we guide the SME as to what to do next?

• How does SME add new concepts during editing?

• How can we avoid graphs becoming unmanageably cluttered?

• Who lays out the graph?

– SME – how do we show side-effects of his/her actions?

– System – how do we make layout stable and sensible?

Wider Issues• What is the scope and role of this kind of graphical interface?

– View it as a generic editor? A “process model” editor?

– What are the types of knowledge we need, and what editors are

needed?

• Types: isa, parts, purpose, constraints, duration, attributes, sequences

• Editor styles: tree editing, form-filling, text dialog, sketching

• How can we re-introduce informal knowledge into this?