Definitions

Start a glossary here for terminology.

  • abstracting - activity by which we become aware of similarities by experience.
  • abstraction - enables us to recognize new experiences as similar to an already formed class.
  • aggregate - a collection of items that are gathered together to form a total quantity.
  • anaphoric reference - a word in a text refers back to other ideas in the text for its meaning.
  • attribute - characteristic of an entity. An attribute can be inherent in or assigned by inference from the value of the entity.
  • autonomous subdivision - subsections that are independent, can be used in multiple contexts e.g. geographical subdivisions.
  • classifying - collecting experiences based on similarities.
  • colophon - A brief description of publication or production notes relevant to the edition, in modern books usually located at the reverse of the title page, but can also sometimes be located at the end of the book.
  • concept - end product of abstraction.
  • conceptual data schema - specification of the types of information to be stored in an information system.
  • definitions - a way of adding precision to boundaries of a concept and stating its relation to other concepts.
  • disambiguation - the process of resolving the conflicts that arise when a single term is ambiguous.
  • discrimination - expressed as a percentage found by dividing "irrelevant rejected" by "all irrelevant". Discrimination is a measure of system success so a high percentage is better.
  • entity type - Represents a particular type of data, such as a customer entity or an order entity in a conceptual model.
  • entity value - a unique identity that manifests itself in different ways in different systems.
  • entity value identifier - entity instances should have a persistent identity, such as a primary key, so that you can search for and locate them using the key (identifier).
  • exhaustivity - directly related to the number of descriptors used to index a document; few = low exhaustivity, more = high exhaustivity.
  • expression - the specific intellectual or artistic form that a work takes each time it is "realized".
  • facet analysis - used primarily to create classifications for the physical arrangement of documents (or document surrogates). The completed classification or knowledge structure is built up from individual terms which are analyzed into categories and ordered by the application of the system syntax.
  • fallout - the complement of discrimination; expressed as a percentage found by dividing "irrelevant retrieved" by "all irrelevant". Fallout is a measure of system failure so a lower percentage is better.
  • hierarchical inheritance - one or more derived classes from common base class.
  • item - a single exemplar of a manifestation. The entity defined as item is concrete.
  • knowledge organization systems (KOS) - classification schemes and thesauri
  • manifestation - physical embodiment of an expression of a work. As an entity, manifestation represents all the physical objects that bear the same characteristics, in respect to both intellectual content and physical form.
  • noise - data which is irrelevant to communication.
  • node - a connection point, either a redistribution point or an end point for data transmissions. In general, a node has programmed or engineered capability to recognize and process or forward transmissions to other nodes. * parsing - To break (a sentence) down into its component parts of speech with an explanation of the form, function, and syntactical relationship of each part.
  • ontology - a specification of a conceptualization, description (like a formal specification of a program) of the concepts and relationships that can exist for an agent or a community of agents.
  • precombination - health education vs. health and education
  • primary concept - derived from our sensory and motor experiences in the world - "red, car, heavy, hot, sweet" : definition
  • recall - expressed as a percentage found by dividing "relevant and retrieved" by "all relevant". Recall is a measure of system success so the higher the percentage the better.
  • recognition - subjective experience of classifying example of a concept.
  • schema - An underlying organizational pattern or structure; conceptual framework: A schema provides the basis by which someone relates to the events he or she experiences. Schema integrates existing knowledge, acts as a tool for future learning, and makes possible understanding. Also, a diagram, plan, or scheme. Synonyms: outline, framework, model.
  • secondary concept - abstracted from other concepts - "color, flavor, temperature"
  • semantic factoring - The process of analyzing some or all of the categories of an ontology into a collection of primitives. Combinations of those primitives generate a hierarchy, called a lattice, which includes the original categories plus additional ones that make it more symmetric. The techniques of semantic factoring can be applied to any level of an ontology from the highest, most general concept types to the lowest, most specialized types. (by John F. Sowa)
  • semantic network - graphic notation for representing knowledge in patterns of interconnected nodes and arcs.
  • semantics - The meaning or the interpretation of a word, sentence, or other language form.
  • specificity - related to the level at which concepts are expressed; aircraft (less specific) vs helicopter (more specific).
  • substantive - solid in foundation or basis.
  • theory - enables explanation, prediction and control of particular events in the classes to which it relates.
  • work - a distinct intellectual or artistic creation.
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