(French) doctorate thesis proposal

Algebraic semiotics for transformation of representations

The elaboration of "knowledge books" organizing the available information on a particular subject is a major challenge of knowledge management. These knowledge books combine texts and raw data with various representations of objects, processes or actors using specific knowledge representation languages. They are used, in particular, for inforcing the traceability of technical reasoning involved in critical or ambitious projects.

These repositories are accessible in function of the competence, the role or the objective, among other things, of a target user. It is thus necessary to generate several different representations and computer applications from the same knowledge book. These are new knowledge books, virtual and evolving when accessed online and physical when printed.

We aim at generating such representations in a systematic way in function of the properties of the initial representation that must be preserved.
The doctorate subject is the study of the system made of the transformations applied to representations. This study shall allow, in particular:

to warrant the traceability of information (knowing where does the aggregated information come from),
to propose methods taking into account the multiplicity of representations when different actors communicate (knowing why several viewpoints cannot be compared).

Algebraic semiotics considers the interactions between the human use of information and its processing by computers. It seems well suited to the present problem: a knowledge book and its presentation to a user are two sign systems and the transformation from the former to the latter is a morphism preserving the desired properties.
The transformations will be first considered in that framework.

This work is related to a collaboration with CEA (DIST/SIIA) -- French atomic energy agency's scientific information department. The outcome of the research is meant to be integrated in a new computer environment being developped for its information management activity.

References:
Mathias Chaillot, Jean-Louis Ermine, Le livre de connaissances électronique, Document numérique 1(1):75-98, 1997
Jérôme Euzenat, Sémantique des représentations de connaissance, Notes de cours de DEA, INRIA Rhône-Alpes, Montbonnot (FR), 1999 https://www.inrialpes.fr/sherpa/files/tmp/src.ps.gz
Joseph Goguen, An introduction to algebraic semiotics with application to user interface design,Lecture notes in computer science 1562:242-291, 1999 http://www-cse.ucsd.edu/users/goguen/ps/as.ps.gz

University: École doctorale mathématiques et informatique (School of mathematics and informatics), Université Joseph-Fourier, Grenoble

Discipline: Computer science, mathematics

Useful knowledge: Algebra, Theoretical computer science, Information management

Funding: MENRT or CEA grant

Contacts:
Thesis advisor CEA advisor
Jérôme Euzenat
INRIA Rhône-Alpes
655 avenue de l'Europe,
38330 Montbonnot Saint-Martin, France
Jerome . Euzenat A inrialpes . fr
Fax : +33 476 61 53 66
Mathias Chaillot
CEA DIST/SIIA
CEN Saclay,
91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
chaillot@cartier.cea.fr
Fax : +33 169 08 26 69
Some more information:
Of CEA and theses
About SIIA/DIST of CEA
About the Sherpa project of INRIA Rhône-Alpes

http://exmo.inria.fr/training/sujet-the.html

Thesis advisor	CEA advisor
Jérôme Euzenat INRIA Rhône-Alpes 655 avenue de l'Europe, 38330 Montbonnot Saint-Martin, France Jerome . Euzenat A inrialpes . fr Fax : +33 476 61 53 66	Mathias Chaillot CEA DIST/SIIA CEN Saclay, 91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France chaillot@cartier.cea.fr Fax : +33 169 08 26 69