[topicmaps-comment] Mapping Topics to Cyc: How To Handle Scope?

["W. Eliot Kimber" <eliot@isogen.com>]

I'm now at the point where I can start implementing the mapping of
topics to Cyc constants and assertions. One big question that I can't
think of an immediate answer to is how to handle scopes.

I don't think there's any question scopes have to be translated to Cyc
microtheories. My question is exactly how. In particular, does it make
sense for each unique collection of themes to be represented as a
distinct microtheory or should each scoping topic be represented as a
separate microtheory, which can then be generalized together to create
microtheories that are the union of the scoping topics?

I'm asking this question because it's not clear to me what the semantic
of scope is: does it mean that a characteristic is meaningful when *any*
of the themes in the scope is "active" or does it mean that the
characteristic is meaningful IFF *all* of the themes in the scope are
active.

I think it's the former, but I'm not sure there's concensus on this or
even if there can be consensus on this.

In the context of Cyc, I think "active" means "in the current content
(microtheory)", so I can represent either use of scopes, I just need to
know which it should be or if it should be an import-time option.

Thanks,

Eliot
-- 
W. Eliot Kimber, eliot@isogen.com
Consultant, ISOGEN International

1016 La Posada Dr., Suite 240
Austin, TX  78752 Phone: 512.656.4139