[newTerm] Informative role

informative role =def. a role which inheres in a bearer and which is realised when an agent correctly interprets what that bearer signifies

added newTerm label

changed the description

What about having information as a "sign with an informative disposition"? Our def of information says "A sign which, when accurately interpreted, ...". Whether the accurate interpretation happens, is not up to the sign. So I would argue that information should not be asserted as a subclass of sign but rather have the OWL statement: A sign whose informative disposition is realised is information.

Looking the problem up in the current version of HDO - i think this no longer applies.

this could potentially also be modelled using signifier role, e.g.:

`a signifier role inheres in a bearer an which is realized when that entity is correctly interpreted as represantative of another.

(for reference: signifier role: "A role which inheres in any entity and is realised when that entity is interpreted as representative of another."@en)

re @steinm01:

So I would argue that information should not be asserted as a subclass of sign

If information is a subclass of sign, that means that information is something more specific than sign. I.e. not every sign is information only those that are truthful. As such the relation is OK with me as is.

this could potentially also be modelled using signifier role

How about having informative role as a subclass of signifier role: "A signifier role which inheres in a sign and which is realised when that sign is accurately interpreted such that uncertainty about the properties or behaviours of an entity is reduced."

We also need to align signifier role and sign because right now they say slightly different things. I vote for the wording of the sign definition, i.e. signifier role =def. A role which inheres in a generically dependent continuant and which is realized when that continuant indicates the existence of another entity.

I'm not sure on how to model all this "role-stuff". Here are two examples from a BFO-based industry ontology which seem to use two different approaches for that. Material resource and raw material are very similar in their assertions. However, material resource role is modelled as an equivalence class while raw material role is modelled with subclassOf statements and class axioms:

• material resource
• material resource role
• raw material
• raw material role

that looks convincing. I.e. if there is a bearer of a role that we can unambigously connect to that role, we should do that. (i.e. signifier and signifier role).

I have done this with commit !27 (ab51f94b) in !27 (merged) for signifier and information.

Regarding this discussion our current version of the ontology has changed. At the moment we have information role and signifier role as parallel classes under role (BFO0000023).

I will close the issue with !27 (merged) unless there is more need for discussion @steinm01 ?

mentioned in merge request !27 (merged)

changed due date to July 11, 2023

assigned to @v.hofmann

added in MR label

changed milestone to %Release 1

mentioned in commit 08b78bf6

closed with merge request !27 (merged)