Münster Semantic Interoperability Lab

The deadline for the Similarity Workshop held in conjunction with the International Conference on Spatial Information Theory (COSIT 2007) has been extended to the 8th June.

Melbourne, Australia, September 19th, 2007

Workshop on Semantic Similarity Measurement and Geospatial Applications, Held in conjunction with COSIT 2007, the International Conference on Spatial Information Theory.

Organizers

Krzystof Janowicz, Institute for Geoinformatics, University of Muenster
Angela Schwering, Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrueck
Martin Raubal, Department of Geography, University of California at Santa Barbara
Werner Kuhn, Institute for Geoinformatics, University of Muenster

Workshop Theme

Semantic similarity measurement is central for enabling semantic interoperability between geographic information systems and web-services and compability between data-sources. Similarity and similarity-based reasoning has become more and more
important for the functioning of many geo-spatial tasks such as

• spatial planning and decision support in emergency management
• retrieval and integration of spatial information across organizational borders
• acquisition, organization and utilization of knowledge about the spatial environment and human-machine communication in navigation tasks of humans as well as robots.

Similarity-based information processing is more flexible than binary match algorithms and less rigid than classical reasoning. This workshop tackles problems regarding the representation of geo-spatial semantics, the application of similarity measures as indicator for the degree of interoperability, and the use of similarity measurement in geo-spatial applications.
The workshop will address issues such as

• existing similarity measures and their combination / hybrid approaches
• similarity measurement in different applications (such as Location-Based Services)
• similarity in concept formation and categorization
• similarity measurement at the instance level
• what do similarity measures really measure?
• what do similarity measures really measure?
• role of similarity / similarity-based reasoning in the future
• types of similarity (mere appearance, analogy …)
• fuzzyness and vagueness in similarity measurement
• cognitive adequacy of similarity measurement / human strategies of similarity perception
  and similarity judgment
• similarity and time

Call for Papers

Anybody with an interest in the questions raised above is invited to submit a position paper as basis for discussions during the workshop. Extended abstracts of 1000 – 1500 words should be sent by email to janowicz[at]uni-muenster.de. Accepted papers will be made available on the workshop web site, unless their authors instruct us otherwise. Authors will be notified whether their position papers have been selected for an additional short-presentation during the workshop. Authors are invited to submit revised versions of their position papers to a post-workshop review process, leading to a journal special issue on future research directions for semantic similarity research.

Important Dates

Submission: 08th June 2007
Notification: 20th June 2007
Workshop: 19th September 2007