9th September 2025 | LDK 2025, Naples, Italy
The Model of Multiple Viewpoints (MULTI) is an OWL ontology created so as to model viewpoints [1], where the term viewpoint can be defined as the "mental position or attitude from which a subject or question is considered" [2].
MULTI allows for the viewpoints of a variety of communities to be represented, for which three core communities have been identified: linguistic community, political community, and community of identity. When modelling the viewpoint of a community, the culture thereof can also be considered. This includes demographic factors, cultural constructs, as well as cultural features for both the collective and the individual.
MULTI is a lightweight ontology aligned to the upper-level ontology of DUL [3], a variant of DOLCE suitable for modelling contexts.
When the requirements for the Web Ontology Language (OWL) were considered, internationalisation was identified as a goal, where the development of a multilingual ontology should be supported by OWL so that it can be usable by different countries and cultures [4].
It is often assumed that the conceptualisation of some domain in OWL is universal, with the result that the viewpoint of an OWL ontology or other RDF document is typically not made explicit. However, the conceptualisation is natural language-specific, and for a multilingual ontology, all additional languages serve as translations of the primary language. As part of a larger project on ontology localisation, MULTI was developed so as to model viewpoints, where an ontology or ontology element can be annotated with its viewpoint.
MULTI is not just suitable for ontologies however, and it can be used to effectively represent multiple viewpoints, communities, and culture pertaining to cultural artefacts, linguistic linked data, and other artefacts in the digital humanities domain.
Cultural heritage, digital humanities, and linguistic linked data are some of the research areas that will have particular relevance to this tutorial.
The tutorial will be in-person, although hybrid attendance can be supported. It will consist of a slide presentation, followed by both individuals and small teams working together to model their preferred viewpoints. The presenter, Frances Gillis-Webber, will work with each person and team to answer questions and provide guidance on the modelling. A set of viewpoints will be considered for the tutorial, however, prior to the tutorial, a questionnaire will be sent out to participants to propose their own viewpoints.
The goal of the tutorial is two-fold: (1) to bring greater awareness to MULTI, and (2) to improve the quality of MULTI, by way of feedback from the tutorial participants.
It will be held in the afternoon of the 9th September 2025, at the Università degli Studi di Napoli L'Orientale - Palazzo del Mediterraneo.
The presenter is Frances Gillis-Webber.
To contact Frances, please email: fgilliswebber@cs.uct.ac.za.
