Re: [members] Proposed Charter for OASIS QUOMOS TC

[Peter Yim <peter.yim@cim3.com>]

Two (suggested) amendments:


1. [section 2(h)]

> The TC anticipates evaluating the following sources as potential
> contributions to the propsoed ontology:
> * BIPM (International Bureau of Weights and Measures)
> * VIM (international Vocabulary for Measurement)
> * UnitsML
> * UCUM (Unified Code for Units of Measure)
> * UNECE Recommendation 20
> * Sweet
> * QUDT
> * QUDV component of SysML

please update to read:

//
This work emerged from "OntologySummit2009: Toward Ontology-based
Standards" where "A harmonized ontology of units and dimensions" was
identified as a good project where ontology science and engineering
can be applied to standards development. A "UoM_Ontology_Standard"
working group was subsequently formed within the Ontolog community
that did the planning and technical work leading up to the formation
of this TC.

The TC anticipates evaluating the following sources as potential
contributions to the proposed ontology:
* BIPM (International Bureau of Weights and Measures)
* VIM (international Vocabulary for Measurement)
* UnitsML
* UCUM (Unified Code for Units of Measure)
* UNECE Recommendation 20
* sciUnits component of the SWEET ontologies
* QUDT
* QUDV component of SysML
//


2.  [sec. 2(d)]

> * Peter Yim (peter.yim@com3.com)

please update to read: "* Peter Yim (peter.yim@cim3.com)"
    (... believe HowardMason has already reported on this typo earlier.)



Thanks & regards.  =ppy
--


On Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 6:50 PM, Mary McRae <mary.mcrae@oasis-open.org> wrote:
> To OASIS Members:
>
>  A draft TC charter has been submitted to establish the OASIS Quantities and
> Units of Measure Ontology Standard (QUOMOS) Technical Committee (below). In
> accordance with the OASIS TC Process Policy section 2.2:
> (http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/process-2009-07-30.php#formation) the
> proposed charter is hereby submitted for comment. The comment period shall
> remain open until 11:45 pm ET on 7 December 2009.
>
>  OASIS maintains a mailing list for the purpose of submitting comments on
> proposed charters. Any OASIS member may post to this list by sending email
> to:
> mailto:oasis-charter-discuss@lists.oasis-open.org. All messages will be
> publicly archived at:
> http://lists.oasis-open.org/archives/oasis-charter-discuss/. Members who
> wish to receive emails must join the group by selecting "join group" on the
> group home page:
> http://www.oasis-open.org/apps/org/workgroup/oasis-charter-discuss/.
> Employees of organizational members do not require primary representative
> approval to subscribe to the oasis-charter-discuss e-mail.
>
>  A telephone conference will be held among the Convener, the OASIS TC
> Administrator, and those proposers who wish to attend within four days of
> the close of the comment period. The announcement and call-in information
> will be noted on the OASIS Charter Discuss Group Calendar.
>
>  We encourage member comment and ask that you note the name of the proposed
> TC (QUOMOS) in the subject line of your email message.
>
> Regards,
>
> Mary
>
>
> Mary P McRae
> Director, Standards Development
> Technical Committee Administrator
> OASIS: Advancing open standards for the information society
> email: mary.mcrae@oasis-open.org
> web: www.oasis-open.org
> twitter: @fiberartisan #oasisopen
> phone: 1.603.232.9090
>
> -----
>
> OASIS Quantities and Units of Measure Ontology Standard (QUOMOS) Technical
> Committee
>
>
> The name of the TC:
>
> OASIS Quantities and Units of Measure Ontology Standard (QUOMOS) Technical
> Committee
>
>
> Statement of purpose:
>
> Ontologies allow the explicit specification of the multiple possible
> meanings of concepts so that people can recognize commonalities and
> differences in the semantics of the concepts that they use.
>
> Ontologies can be used to improve the quality of standards, leading to more
> robust implementations of the standards and the semantic integration of
> multiple standards. The axiomatization of formal ontologies can also support
> automatic conformance-checking.
>
> Measurement units and dimensions (or dimensionality) are essential for the
> meaningful communication of measurements, design specifications, scientific
> data, medical data, environmental data and regulations, and many commercial
> transactions. Confusion over measurement units can lead to disasters such as
> the demise of the Mars Climate Observer satellite. An ontology of
> measurement units and dimensions would have wide utility in many IT
> standards.
>
> A number of standards projects and other large-scale projects are currently
> developing some kind of ontology for quantities and measurement units.  This
> will quickly lead to a proliferation of formal models for quantities and
> units that are not quite comparable. That in turn will impede consistent
> specifications of quantities for publication and information exchange in
> many industries.  A standard ontology for quantities and units, adopted at
> this time, can be incorporated into such projects, or used as a reference
> for the symbols they define, thus promoting consistent interpretation and
> interworking of specifications and measurements.
>
> Measurement units include metres, feet, inches, etc. all of which have the
> dimension of "length", i.e., length is the "property" of which "metre" is
> the unit of measure. In the International System of Quantities (Units) (also
> called the metric system or SI) the base dimensions (units) are: length
> (metre), mass (kilogram), time (second), electric current (ampere),
> thermodynamic temperature (kelvin), amount of substance (mole) and luminous
> intensity (candela). Derived (or composite) dimensions are constructed by
> multiplying or dividing the dimensions when multiplying or dividing the
> corresponding quantities. Hence speed has dimension of length / time. In
> practice the various base dimensions may have exponents of -3 to +3. Thus
> the space of derived dimensions has size of 7 to the 7th power - approx.
> 800K possible dimensions. For each dimension there are often
> several alternative measurement units - thus the space of all possible
> measurement units is huge.
>
> Thus is it is clear that there is need to specify a framework for
> constructing derived dimensions / units from base dimensions and units.
>
> It is therefore proposed to develop an ontology which would specify the
> basic concepts of quantities, systems of quantities, and systems of
> measurement units and scales, the various base dimensions and units of the
> SI system, the various metric prefixes (nano-, micro-, milli-, kilo-, ...),
> the rules for constructing various derived units, and the designations of
> the most common derived units such as joules, watts, ... The ontology should
> also address non-metric base and derived units that are commonly used across
> multiple industries.
>
> The ontology will be represented in multiple formats, to allow exploitation
> via various tools - CLIF (ISO 24707) is currently proposed as the reference
> normative form, along with a derived OWL2/DL representation, although this
> may not be able to accommodate all CLIF concepts.  It will also be important
> to construct canonical URIs to reference the various measurement units and
> dimensions. Furthermore, the ontology should be linked to standard
> representations (names, abbreviations) for the various measurement units /
> dimensions, e.g., meters, m, joules, etc., as expressed in sources such as
> the OASIS UnitsML project, and the Healthcare Level 7 Uniform Code for Units
> of Measure (UCUM).
>
> There are some anomalies which need to be addressed, notably in the area of
> "dimensionless units" and derived units that involve them, such as
> measurements of concentration, energy v. torque.  Non-linear scales will
> also be a concern.
>
>
> Scope of the work of the TC:
>
> The objective is to develop the draft of an international ontology standard
> for expressing "Quantities and Units of Measure" which will be publicly
> available, free of charge. The reference normative form of the ontology will
> be expressed in the CLIF language, with derived normative representations in
> OWL 2.0 DL, and UML.
>
> The work shall include the development of a core set of ontology modules
> covering quantities, units, scales, dimensions, base and derived SI units
> and their relationships, and extension mechanisms to allow the later
> inclusion of non SI units and other measurement systems.  The ontology shall
> be independent of industry sector and applications, and based on available
> specifications and standards, particularly the VIM.  Where ambiguities and
> contradictions arise between different specifications and standards, these
> shall be referred back to the originating organizations for resolution.
>
> Later ontology modules may include basic concepts for measurements and
> uncertainties, and for quantity specifications and tolerances.  While all
> applications of quantities are one or the other of these, these disciplines
> are more complex and may have industry-specific characteristics.
>
> The TC will liaise and strive to coordinate its development with the work of
> BIPM (International Bureau of Weights and Measures), ISO/IEC 80000, VIM
> (International Vocabulary of Metrology), UnitsML, UCUM (Unified Code for
> Units of Measure) and UNECE Recommendation 20, and take into account
> existing quantities and units ontologies based on VIM, such as Sweet, QUDT
> and the QUDV component of SysML. It is expected that the scope of the QUOMOS
> ontology with respect to specific units will be influenced by the
> relationship to UnitsML and UCUM.
>
> Consideration will be given to ensuring that the methodology used to
> construct the ontology can be exploited in the construction of other
> definitive ontologies.
>
>
> A list of deliverables, with projected completion dates:
>
> The TC will produce a core set of ontology modules covering quantities,
> units, scales, dimensions, base and derived SI units and extension
> mechanisms to allow the later inclusion of non SI units and other
> measurement systems.  The reference normative ontology will be expressed in
> CLIF, with other normative representations may be derived in OWL 2.0 DL, and
> supported by equivalent UML diagrams.
>
> Further extensions may be generated using the specified mechanisms.
>
>
> Specification of the IPR Mode under which the TC will operate:
>
> Non-Assertion
>
>
> The anticipated audience or users of the work:
>
> The proposed ontology will be applicable to any developer or user of
> information models or applications that require an unambiguous definition of
> units in a digital form that can be utilised by a wide range of
> applications, including document markup and data exchange. It will also
> highlight logical inconsistencies and ambiguities that need to be addressed.
>
>
> The language in which the TC shall conduct business:
>
> English
>
>
> Non-normative information regarding the startup of the TC, which includes:
> Identification of similar or applicable work that is being done in other
> OASIS TCs or by other organizations:
>
> The only relevant work in OASIS is the UnitsML activity to provide a markup
> language for units.  The QUOMOS work should be complementary, in providing
> an ontological representation for Units of Measure, and may provide
> resolution of ambiguities in the definition of units adopted from elsewhere.
>
> The work needs to be based on the fundamental internationally agreed
> definitions from BIPM and the agreed understanding of derived units, as
> defined in the ISO/IEC 80000 series of standards.  Additional derived units
> from efforts such as UCUM and known requirements from other groups may also
> be taken into account.  Existing agreements on international trade from the
> UN should also be taken into consideration.
>
> Requirements are being actively sought from prospective user organisations
> in ISO, IEC and UNECE, and the TC welcomes other relevant contributions.
>
> In order to obtain the broadest possible perspective, the initiative has
> been reported to the Management Group of the MoU on eBusiness between
> ISO/IEC/ITU/UNECE, at its 12-13 October meeting, with a request for
> contributions.
>
>
> The date, time, and location of the first meeting, whether it will be held
> in person or by telephone, and who will sponsor this first meeting:
>
> The first meeting will be held by teleconference on Thursday 21 January
> 2010, from 18.30-20.30 UTC
>
>
> The projected on-going meeting schedule:
>
> The TC will meet by teleconference every two weeks or as decided by the
> group after it is launched.  Additional face-to-face meetings may be held by
> consensus.
>
>
> The names, electronic mail addresses, and membership affiliations of at
> least Minimum Membership who support this proposal and are committed to the
> Charter and projected meeting schedule:
>
> * Ed Barkmeyer (edbark@nist.gov) NIST
> * Jerry Smith (jerry.smith@disa.mil) US DoD
> * Frank Olken (folken@nsf.gov) LBNL
> * Peter Yim (peter.yim@com3.com)
> * Howard Mason (howard.mason@baesystems.com) BAE Systems
> * Pat Hayes (phayes@ihmc.us)
>
>
> The name, electronic mail address, membership affiliation, and statement of
> support for the proposed Charter from the Primary Representative.
>
> * Dr David Flater (dflater@nist.gov) NIST
> :Ed Barkmeyer: NIST has formally approved our participation, that is, both
> the NIST OASIS principal and my management.
>
> * Jerry Smith (jerry.smith@disa.mil) US DoD
> :We've reviewed the draft and concur.  DoD is a member of OASIS, I am the
> voting representative, and we want to participate in this new TC.
>
> * Mary Ann Piette (mapiette@lbl.gov) LBNL
> :Frank (Olken) - Sounds ok to me! In the buildings area there are tremendous
> measurements issues, measurement of energy, measurement of services building
> systems provide, measurement of satisfaction, measurement of indoor air
> quality and many more! - Mary Ann
>
> * Howard Mason (howard.mason@baesystems.com) BAE Systems
> :BAE Systems supports the development of the proposed ontology standard,
> which should form part of our overall standards toolbox.
>
>
> The name of the Convener who must be an Eligible Person:
> * Howard Mason (BAE Systems)
>
>
> The name of the Member Section with which the TC intends to affiliate, if
> any:
> * None
>
>
> The TC anticipates evaluating the following sources as potential
> contributions to the propsoed ontology:
> * BIPM (International Bureau of Weights and Measures)
> * VIM (international Vocabulary for Measurement)
> * UnitsML
> * UCUM (Unified Code for Units of Measure)
> * UNECE Recommendation 20
> * Sweet
> * QUDT
> * QUDV component of SysML
>
>
> Optionally, a draft Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document regarding the
> planned scope of the TC, for posting on the TC's website.
> * None
>
>
> Optionally, a proposed working title and acronym for the specification(s) to
> be developed by the TC.
> * Quantities and Units of Measure Ontology Standard (QUOMOS)
>
>
>