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SNAP and SPANBarry Smith and Pierre Grenon

University at Buffaloand

Institute for Formal Ontology and Medical Information Science (ifomis.de)

University of Leipzig

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Formal Ontology

= domain-neutral

Examples of categories:

Substance, Process, Agent, Property, Relation, Location, Spatial Region

Part-of, Boundary-of

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Material Ontology

= regional or domain-specific ontology, e.g. GeO

Examples of categories:

River, Mountain, Country, Desert …

Resides-In, Is-to-the-West-of

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Realist Perspectivalism

There is a multiplicity of ontological perspectives on reality, all equally veridical and transparent to reality

vs. Reductionism: “Only my preferred perspective on reality is veridical”

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Realist Perspectivalism

Perspectivalism: all views are ontologically admissible.

Realist Perspectivalism: only those perspectives are admissible that are transparent to reality

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Need for different perspectives

Double counting:

3 apples on the table7 x 1016 molecules at spatial locations L1, L2 and L3

Not one ontology, but a multiplicity of complementary ontologies

Cf. Quantum mechanics: particle vs. wave ontologies

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Cardinal Perspectives

Formal vs. Material

Micro- vs. Meso- vs. Macro

SNAP vs. SPAN

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A Network of Domain Ontologies

BFO

BFO = Basic Formal Ontology

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A Network of Domain Ontologies

MedO

BFO

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A Network of Domain Ontologies

GeO

MedO

BFO

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A Network of Domain Ontologies

LexO

GeO

MedO

BFO

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A Network of Domain Ontologies

MilO LexO

GeO

MedO

BFO

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A Network of Domain Ontologies

EcO

MilO LexO

GeO

MedO

BFO

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Cardinal Perspectives

Formal vs. Material Ontologies

Granularity (Micro vs. Meso vs. Macro)

SNAP vs. SPAN

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Granular Partitions

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Ontological Zooming

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Ontological Zooming

folk geography

land survey

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Ontological Zooming

both are transparent partitions of one and the same reality

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Cardinal Perspectives

Formal vs. Material Ontologies

Granularity (Micro vs. Meso vs. Macro)

Time: SNAP vs. SPAN

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Substances and processes exist in time in different

ways

substance

t i m

e

process

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Snapshot vs. video

substance

t i m

e

process

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Endurants and perdurants

Substances and processesContinuants and occurrents

In preparing an inventory of realitywe keep track of these two different categories of entities in two different ways (stocks vs. flows)

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Endurants vs. perdurants

Endurants- have continuous existence in time- preserve their identity through change- exist in toto if they exist at all

Perdurants- have temporal parts- unfold themselves through time- exist only in their phases/stages

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Endurants vs. perdurants

Substances vs. their lives

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You are a substance

Your life is a process

You are 3-dimensionalYour life is 4-dimensional

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Substances do not have temporal parts

The first 5-minute phase of my existence is not a temporal part of me It is a temporal part of that complex process which is my life

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How do you know whether an entity endures or

perdures?

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SNAP vs. SPAN

1. SNAP: a SNAPshot ontology of endurants existing at a time

2. SPAN: a four-dimensionalist ontology of processes

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Three kinds of SNAP entities

1. Substances2. SPQR… entities3. Spatial regions,

Contexts, Niches

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SPQR… entities

States, powers, qualities, roles …

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Other SPQR… entities:

functions, dispositions, plans, shapes

SPQR… entities are all dependent on substances

relations

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Examples of simple SNAP ontologies 1

space

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Examples of simple SNAP ontologies 2

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Examples of simple SNAP ontologies 3

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each SNAP section through reality

includes everything which existsat the corresponding now

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Many SNAP Ontologies

t1

t3

t2

here time exists outside the ontology, as an index or time-stamp

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The SPAN Ontology

t i m e

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here time exists as part of the domain of the ontology

The SPAN ontology

39t i m e

campaign

The SPAN ontology

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They are windows on just that portion of reality which is visible through the given ontology (… Pat Hayes …)

SNAP and SPAN ontologies are partial only

(Realist perspectivalism)

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SNAP: Entities existing in toto at a time

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Three kinds of SNAP entities

1. Substances2. SPQR… entities3. Spatial regions,

Contexts, Niches

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SNAP

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SPAN: Entities extended in time

SPANEntity extended in time

Portion of Spacetime

Fiat part of process *First phase of a clinical trial

Spacetime worm of 3 + Tdimensions

occupied by life of organism

Temporal interval *projection of organism’s life

onto temporal dimension

Aggregate of processes *Clinical trial

Process[±Relational]

Circulation of blood,secretion of hormones,course of disease, life

Processual Entity[Exists in space and time, unfolds

in time phase by phase]

Temporal boundary ofprocess *

onset of disease, death

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SPAN: Entities extended in time

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SPAN: Entities extended in time

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Rule: Respect Granularity

spatial region qualitysubstance

parts of spatial regions are always spatial regions

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Respect Granularity

spatial region qualitysubstance

parts of substances are always substances

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Respect Granularity

spatial region qualitysubstance

parts of qualities are always qualities

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Respect Granularity

process

parts of processes are always processes

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Relations crossing the SNAP/SPAN border are not

part-relations

John’s lifesubstance John

physiological processes

sustaining in existence

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Parts of processes (1)

c

c: boundary

a

a

a: scattered part

b

b: temporal slice

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Parts of processes (2)

a

a: sub-process

b

b: phase

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Relations between SNAP and SPAN

SNAP-entities participate in processes; they have lives, histories.

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SPQR… entities and their SPAN realizations

the expression of a functionthe exercise of a rolethe execution of a planthe realization of a dispositionthe application of a therapy

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SPQR… entities and their SPAN realizations

functionroleplandispositiontherapy

SNAP

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SPQR… entities and their SPAN realizations

expression exercise execution realization application

SPAN

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Temporal Co-Incidence

x

y

SNAP-t

At time t, colony of bacteria in the throat.

time

SPANMigration of a colony of bacteriafrom the mouth to the small intestine.

B

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Participation

x

y

substances x, y participate in process B

time

Bx

y

SNAP-ti.

time

SPAN

B

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Projections

proce

ss

material region spatial region

participants

spatio

-tempora

l region

SNAPti

SPAN

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SNAP-SPAN relations (3)

Ontological dependence.

Some forms of participation:

-initiation, termination

-creation, destruction

-sustenance, degradation

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Ontology for Geographical

Information Science

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GeO

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An adequate ontology of geography has to have those three components:

1. SNAP

2. FIELD

3. SPAN

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SNAP GeO

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An adequate ontology of geography has to have those three basic categories:

1. Geographical Objects

2. Geographical Attributes

3. Places, Niches, Environments

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FIELD GeO

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An adequate ontology of geography has to have those three categories:

1. Fields

2. Fields Attributes

3. Spatial Regions

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SPAN GeO

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An adequate ontology of geography has to have those two categories:

1. Processual Entities

2. Space-Time Worms

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Relations in GeO

Of course, all the Basic Formal Relations obtain here.

There are GeO specific relations or GeO specifics forms of Basic Formal Relations.

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Relations in GeO

Forms of geo-spatial location-orientation (east of, etc.)-field elements-geographical location (projection on Earth's surface, 2-D)-geo-spatial location (with

considerations of altitude, 3-D)

Relations defined based on participation in specific geographical processes.

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Geo Location

ground, 2d-location

underground, 3d-location

above ground, 3-d location

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Relations between SNAP and SPAN (and FIELD) in

GeO

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Geographical Changes

Some types of processes:

-Movements (location change)

-Substantial Change

-Property Change

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Movement

from location

x

ends

begins

mov

emen

t

to location

y

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begins

mov

emen

t

from location

x

to location

y

ends

Moving Outside

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Initiation

Destruction

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Creation

a process P

t1

a region of space R where P is ongoing

R

Snap-t1

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Creation

P

t1

R

Snap-t1

t2>t1

R

Snap-t2

P initiates a,a's birth at t2 a's life (overlaps P)

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Property change

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Scenario