scholarly journals Towards an Ontology of Comparative Biogeography: New insights into the semantics of biodiversity conservation

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Visotheary Ung ◽  
Pier Luigi Buttigieg
Keyword(s):  
Semantic Web ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Semantic Representation ◽  
Biomedical Ontology ◽  
Habitat Destruction ◽  
Web Standards ◽  
Ecosystem Science ◽  
Library Resources ◽  
Areas Of Endemism ◽  
Decision Making Processes

Climate change, habitat destruction, and myriad other ecological stressors will impact us all and have already contributed to what is being labeled the sixth wave of extinction (Ceballos et al. 2015, Régnier et al. 2015). As a countering force, conservation biology strives to identify those areas of the planet most worthy of protecting due to their unique natural value (Dudley and Stolton 2008). Despite their value, criticisms (Camillo and Peter 2011) have been leveled at 1) the social cost of maintaining protected status (Lele et al. 2010) and 2) instances of continued biodiversity decline despite protection regimes (Craigie et al. 2010, Dudley et al. 2014). At present, the selection and delimitation of protected areas is an intuitive and often subjective process, leading to ambiguities in the semantics behind and across their definitions. Thus, we propose that the application of ontological techniques to the ambiguities in protected area semantics is a timely contribution to conservation informatics. We hold that coherent semantic representation of the biogeographic areas which overlap protected areas (often designated empirically) will provide more efficient and standardized informatics, supporting research and decision-making processes. Our approach draws from comparative biogeography, which seeks to classify biogeographic areas based on their natural properties in a process known as bioregionalisation. In particular, we convert a cladogram of biogeographic areas (similar to cladogram of taxa) into a series of ontological classes, each corresponding to a monophyletic clade of areas. In this model, areas of endemism are treated as formal objects related by hierarchical relationships and constrained by the monophyly condition (Ung 2018). This approach unifies a model-theoretic view of endemism with the semantic web and therefore, offering new possibilities to communicate the biogeographic units conservation. We use semantic web standards (RDF and OWL) expressed through interoperable "Open Biological and Biomedical Ontology (OBO) Foundry" and Library resources to model areas of endemism as evolutionary entities for comparative biogeography. This aligns with current efforts in the OBO Foundry to extend their semantic coverage to the domains of Earth and ecosystem science. Due to our work’s heavy reliance on environmental semantics, we base our work on the Environment Ontology (ENVO), extending it with often confounded biogeographic entities including biogeographic areas, such as areas of endemism and endemic areas, as well as their relationships. Hence, we seek to provide a rigorous and simple framework that improves biogeographic analyses and interoperability between systems.

Function Semantic Representation (FSR): A Rule-Based Ontology for Product Functions

2010 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Seung-Cheol Yang ◽  
Lalit Patil ◽  
Debasish Dutta
Keyword(s):  
Semantic Web ◽  
Semantic Representation ◽  
Functional Model ◽  
Consistency Checking ◽  
Formal Representation ◽  
Rule Based ◽  
Modeling And Analysis ◽  
Ontology Language ◽  
Web Standards ◽  
Product Function

Defining or understanding a product in terms of its functions facilitates a wide variety of tasks such as design synthesis, modeling, and analysis. However, the lack of a semantically correct formal representation of product functions creates a barrier to their effective capture, exchange, and reuse. This paper presents Function Semantics Representation, a rule-based ontological formalism that is consistent with the Semantic Web standards to capture different components of a product function. In particular, the Semantic Web Rule Language is used to overcome limitations in using the basic Web Ontology Language ontology to explicitly capture advanced semantics essential to completely represent product functions. This enables support for an effective reasoning mechanism to develop and validate the product function (or functional model). We present examples that demonstrate consistency checking and the ability to retrieve functionally similar products from a repository.

scholarly journals Areas of endemism of Cactaceae and the effectiveness of the protected area network in the Chihuahuan Desert

Oryx ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Héctor M. Hernández ◽  
Carlos Gómez-Hinostrosa
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Chihuahuan Desert ◽  
Distribution Data ◽  
Area Network ◽  
Protected Area Network ◽  
Complementarity Analysis ◽  
Areas Of Endemism ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Narrow Endemism

AbstractWe used distribution data of 121 cactus species endemic to the Chihuahuan Desert to test the effectiveness of the region’s protected area network. The analysis of species distribution using a 30′ latitude × 30′ longitude grid facilitated the identification and categorization of areas of endemism. We found a low degree of coincidence between protected areas and the areas of cactus endemism, and only 63.6% of the 121 species occur in protected areas. A complementarity analysis showed that 10 of the protected areas contain the 77 species that occur in protected areas. The four top priority areas protect 65 (84.4%) of these 77 species The 44 unprotected species are mainly micro-endemic and taxonomically distinctive taxa widely scattered in the region. The complementarity analysis applied to these species showed that all of them can be contained in a minimum of 24 grid squares, representing 32.9% of the total area occupied. Their strong spatial dispersion, along with their narrow endemism, is a major conservation challenge. We conclude that the current protected area network is insufficient to protect the rich assemblage of cacti endemic to the Chihuahuan Desert. Conservation efforts in this region should be enhanced by increasing the effectiveness of the already existing protected areas and by the creation of additional protected areas, specifically micro-reserves, to provide refuge for the unprotected species.

Semantic Representation of Balinese Traditional Dance

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 411
Author(s):  
Irianto Liko Koten ◽  
Cokorda Rai Adi Pramartha
Keyword(s):  
Semantic Web ◽  
Semantic Representation ◽  
Ontology Development ◽  
Digital Form ◽  
Dance Performance ◽  
Development Method ◽  
Development Tool ◽  
Traditional Dance ◽  
The World ◽  
Representation Technique

Bali is an island in Indonesia that is rich in culture, for example, is a traditional dance. The traditional dance performance is diverse from one village to another village in Bali. The traditional Balinese dance knowledge should be captured dan documented well in a digital form so that it can be shared easily to different people and generation across the world. The use of ontology as an information representation technique is the preferred solution in this matter because ontology can be used to enhance the development of semantic applications, especially when dealing with semantic webs. In this project, the ontology was built using Protege ontology development tool.  We follow the methontology ontology development method where this methodology clearly describes each of its activity. In this study, we focus to describe two variants of Balinese traditional dance (Barong dance and Pendet dance). In the future, we expect that more type of dance can be documented using our proposed ontology. Keywords: Balinese Dance, Ontology,Semantic Web

scholarly journals Description of two new species of Avicularia Lamarck 1818 and redescription of Avicularia diversipes (C. L. Koch 1842) (Araneae, Theraphosidae, Aviculariinae)—three possibly threatened Brazilian species

Zootaxa ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 2223 (1) ◽  
pp. 25-47 ◽  
Author(s):  
ROGÉRIO BERTANI ◽  
CAROLINE SAYURI FUKUSHIMA
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Original Description ◽  
Color Pattern ◽  
Habitat Destruction ◽  
Southern State ◽  
Two New Species ◽  
Specimen Identification ◽  
Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest

Avicularia diversipes (C. L. Koch 1842) known previously only from its original description is redescribed along with Avicularia sooretama sp. nov. and Avicularia gamba sp. nov. The three species are endemic to Brazilian Atlantic rainforest. With other Avicularia species, they share a procurved anterior eye row, slender embolus and medially folded spermathecae, whereas they have unusual characters, such as a very long and spiraled embolus (A. diversipes) and spermathecae with multilobular apex (A. sooretama sp. nov.). Furthermore, the three species lack a tibial apophysis in males and share a distinctive color pattern ontogeny that is not known in any other Avicularia species. The conservation status of the three species is discussed, especially with respect to endemism, illegal trafficking and habitat destruction. The creation of protected areas in southern State of Bahia, Brazil, is recommended, as well as the inclusion of these species in IUCN and CITES lists. Appendices with figures and species information are presented to facilitate correct specimen identification by custom officers, in order to limit illegal traffic.

scholarly journals Semantic Representation of Domain Knowledge for Professional VR Training

2021 ◽  
pp. 139-150
Author(s):  
Jakub Flotyński ◽  
Paweł Sobociński ◽  
Sergiusz Strykowski ◽  
Dominik Strugała ◽  
Paweł Buń ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Representation ◽  
Domain Knowledge ◽  
Professional Training ◽  
Semantic Representation ◽  
Essential Element ◽  
Domain Experts ◽  
Training Systems ◽  
Web Standards ◽  
Domain Specific Knowledge ◽  
Vr Training

Domain-specific knowledge representation is an essential element of efficient management of professional training. Formal and powerful knowledge representation for training systems can be built upon the semantic web standards, which enable reasoning and complex queries against the content. Virtual reality training is currently used in multiple domains, in particular, if the activities are potentially dangerous for the trainees or require advanced skills or expensive equipment. However, the available methods and tools for creating VR training systems do not use knowledge representation. Therefore, creation, modification and management of training scenarios is problematic for domain experts without expertise in programming and computer graphics. In this paper, we propose an approach to creating semantic virtual training scenarios, in which users’ activities, mistakes as well as equipment and its possible errors are represented using domain knowledge understandable to domain experts. We have verified the approach by developing a user-friendly editor of VR training scenarios for electrical operators of high-voltage installations.

scholarly journals Building an OWL ontology with Xper3

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
pp. e25614 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Pellen ◽  
Sylvain Bouquin ◽  
Isabelle Mougenot ◽  
Régine Vignes-Lebbe
Keyword(s):  
Semantic Web ◽  
Knowledge Base ◽  
Expressive Power ◽  
Knowledge Bases ◽  
User Friendliness ◽  
Standard Format ◽  
Ontology Language ◽  
Closed World ◽  
Web Standards ◽  
Description Framework

Xper3 (Vignes Lebbe et al. 2016) is a collaborative knowledge base publishing platform that, since its launch in november 2013, has been adopted by over 2 thousand users (Pinel et al. 2017). This is mainly due to its user friendly interface and the simplicity of its data model. The data are stored in MySQL Relational DBs, but the exchange format uses the TDWG standard format SDD (Structured Descriptive DataHagedorn et al. 2005). However, each Xper3 knowledge base is a closed world that the author(s) may or may not share with the scientific community or the public via publishing content and/or identification key (Kopfstein 2016). The explicit taxonomic, geographic and phenotypic limits of a knowledge base are not always well defined in the metadata fields. Conversely terminology vocabularies, such as Phenotype and Trait Ontology PATO and the Plant Ontology PO, and software to edit them, such as Protégé and Phenoscape, are essential in the semantic web, but difficult to handle for biologist without computer skills. These ontologies constitute open worlds, and are expressed themselves by RDF triples (Resource Description Framework). Protégé offers vizualisation and reasoning capabilities for these ontologies (Gennari et al. 2003, Musen 2015). Our challenge is to combine the user friendliness of Xper3 with the expressive power of OWL (Web Ontology Language), the W3C standard for building ontologies. We therefore focused on analyzing the representation of the same taxonomic contents under Xper3 and under different models in OWL. After this critical analysis, we chose a description model that allows automatic export of SDD to OWL and can be easily enriched. We will present the results obtained and their validation on two knowledge bases, one on parasitic crustaceans (Sacculina) and the second on current ferns and fossils (Corvez and Grand 2014). The evolution of the Xper3 platform and the perspectives offered by this link with semantic web standards will be discussed.

scholarly journals Registro de la Serpiente Coral de Steindachneri Micrurus steindachneri (Squamata: Elapidae) en el Área Ecológica de Conservación Municipal Tinajillas-Río Gualaceño

2016 ◽  
Vol 8 (14) ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronica Lorena Urgiles ◽  
Juan Carlos Sánchez ◽  
Pedro Xavier Astudillo
Keyword(s):  
Protected Areas ◽  
Protected Area ◽  
Habitat Destruction ◽  
Coral Snake

Registramos a la Serpiente Coral de Steindachner Micrurus steindachneri en el Área Ecológica de Conservación Municipal Tinajillas-Río Gualaceño, provincia de Morona Santiago, Ecuador. La especie ha sido previamente registrada en solo dos áreas protegidas nacionales en Ecuador. Este reporte es el primero en una zona protegida local y resalta la importancia de los sistemas naturales de protección municipal para la conservación de especies sensibles a la destrucción de su hábitat.  Record of Steindachner Coral Snake Micrurus steindachneri (Squamata: Elapidae) in the Municipal Conservation Ecological Area Tinajillas-Río GualaceñoWe registered the Steindachner Coral Snake Micrurus steindachneri in the Municipal Conservation Ecological Area Tinajillas-Río Gualaceño, province of Morona Santiago, Ecuador. The species has been previously recorded in just two national protected areas in Ecuador. This report is the first in a local protected area, and highlights the importance of municipal protection for conservation of species that are vulnerable to habitat destruction.

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