1. The Role of Ontologies for Mapping the Domain of Landscape Architecture
An introduction

2. The Role of Ontologies for Mapping the Domain of Landscape Architecture
Oντος = Being ; Λογια = discourse
The study of categories emerged 300 A.D. in ancient Greece.

3. Computer Sciences have adopted a concept of applied ontologies
The Role of Ontologies for Mapping the Domain of Landscape Architecture
Computer Sciences have adopted a concept of applied ontologies
in the context of knowledge management.
"An ontology defines a common vocabulary for researchers who need to share information in a domain.
It includes machine-interpretable definitions
of basic concepts in the domain and the relations among them."
Noy/McGuinness, Stanford Univ. 2001

4. The Role of Ontologies for Mapping the Domain of Landscape Architecture
In the context of LE:NOTRE, ontology is not understood as philosophical discipline.
It is an artefact, designed for expressing a specific domain.
SHARE
CONCEPTS +
RELATIONS

5. The Role of Ontologies for Mapping the Domain of Landscape Architecture
Purpose of ontologies:
Interpretation by machines
Knowledge management
Interoperability of systems
Relating languages
Reasoning (to some extend)
Cooperation between actors
Cooperation between computers

6. The Role of Ontologies for Mapping the Domain of Landscape Architecture
Ontology Development Steps
ontology specification
knowledge acquisition
conceptualisation
formalisation
evaluation
documentation

7. The Role of Ontologies for Mapping the Domain of Landscape Architecture
Ontologies + Learning
LEARNING - Develop a body of
knowledge for the considered domain in the learners mind.
The skeleton of this body is a semantic network of the main domain concepts - ONTOLOGY

8. The LE:NOTRE approach so far:
The Role of Ontologies for Mapping the Domain of Landscape Architecture
The LE:NOTRE approach so far:
Division into subject-specific working groups (to-down)
Working groups develop models of subject-specific competences (bottom-up)
Next step: agree on the competence models
Then: integration and implementattion of the ontology

9. The objective: A topic map of the landscape architecture domain
The Role of Ontologies for Mapping the Domain of Landscape Architecture
The objective: A topic map of the landscape architecture domain
Division into subject-specific working groups (to-down)
Working groups develop models of subject-specific competences (bottom-up)
Next step: agree on the competence models
Then: integration and implementattion of the ontology

10. Potential scope of bachelor programmes within the topic map
The Role of Ontologies for Mapping the Domain of Landscape Architecture
Potential scope of bachelor programmes within the topic map
Division into subject-specific working groups (to-down)
Working groups develop models of subject-specific competences (bottom-up)
Next step: agree on the competence models
Then: integration and implementattion of the ontology

11. Potential scope of master programmes within the topic map
The Role of Ontologies for Mapping the Domain of Landscape Architecture
Potential scope of master programmes within the topic map
Division into subject-specific working groups (to-down)
Working groups develop models of subject-specific competences (bottom-up)
Next step: agree on the competence models
Then: integration and implementattion of the ontology

12. Request Competence Ontology
The Role of Ontologies for Mapping the Domain of Landscape Architecture
Ontology potentials within LE:NOTRE: knowledge management across databases
Request
Competence Ontology
metadata
metadata
metadata
Course Units
Projects
Course Unit
metadata
metadata
Images
Excercises

13. The Role of Ontologies for Mapping the Domain of Landscape Architecture
Ontology potentials for an educational environment in and beyond LE:NOTRE
Request
Competence Ontology
Which contents are associated with the competence?
Which learning paths are proposed?
Which neighbouring competences are existing?
Which contents are semantically related (thematic neighborhoods)?
….across idiomatic boundaries

14. Landscape Architecture Ontology
The Role of Ontologies for Mapping the Domain of Landscape Architecture
Ontology potentials beyond LE:NOTRE: Information retrieval across webites
Request
Landscape Architecture Ontology
Semantic Web

15. The Role of Ontologies for Mapping the Domain of Landscape Architecture
Ontology potentials beyond LE:NOTRE:
Interdisciplinary Communication + Stakeholder Involvement
Ecology
Ontology
Architecture
Ontology
Urban Planning
Ontology
Landscape
Architecture
Ontology
Public Policy
Ontology
Design
Ontology

16. The Role of Ontologies for Mapping the Domain of Landscape Architecture
Within LE:NOTRE, learning is a core theme –
Bring the network of domain concepts into peoples‘ mental networks
Foundation for collaboration

17. Elements of an ontology:
hierarchy of concepts/classes (i.e.: an urban square is an instance of the concept “urban open space”)
logical relations (i.e. all urban squares are urban open spaces)
elements have properties (urban squares have a name, a location, a size, a designer and so on)