Managing and Reasoning in the Presence of Inconsistency
The International Journal of Semantic Computing describes this Call for Papers as follows:
Inconsistency is ubiquitous in the real world, in human behaviors, and in the computing systems we build. Inconsistency manifests itself in a plethora of phenomena at different level in the depth of knowledge, ranging from data, information, knowledge, meta-knowledge, to expertise. Data inconsistency arises when patterns in data do not conform to an established range, distribution or interpretation. The exponentially growing volumes of data stemming from almost all types of data being created in digital form, a proliferation of sensors and sensor networks, and other sources such as social networks, complex computer simulations, space explorations, and high-resolution imagery and video, have made data inconsistency an inevitability. Information inconsistency occurs when meanings of the same data values become conflicting or when the same attribute for an entity has different data values. Knowledge inconsistency happens when propositions of either declarative or procedural beliefs, in either explicit or tacit form, yield antagonistic outcomes for the same circumstance. Inconsistency can also emerge from meta-knowledge or from expertise. How to manage and reason in the presence of inconsistency in computing systems is a very important issue in semantic computing, social computing, and other data-rich or knowledge-rich computing paradigms. It requires that we understand the causes and circumstances of inconsistency, establish proper metrics for inconsistency, adopt formalisms to represent inconsistency, develop ways to recognize and analyze different types of inconsistency, and devise mechanisms and methodologies to manage and handle inconsistency.
Refreshing in that inconsistency is recognized as an omnipresent and everlasting fact of our environments. Including computing environments.
The phrase, “…establish proper metrics for inconsistency,…” betrays a world view that we can stand outside of our inconsistencies and those of others.
For all the useful work that will appear in this volume (and others like it), there is no place to stand outside of our environments and their inconsistencies.
Important Dates
Submission deadline: May 20, 2011
Review result notification: July 20, 2011
Revision due: August 20, 2011
Final version due: August 31, 2011
Tentative date of publication: September, 2011 (Vol.5, No.3)