This article explores the tension between perfectionist and pragmatic approaches in knowledge modeling, drawing from observations about the evolution of knowledge representation frameworks from the 1990s to present day.
Following themes in Holger Knublauch 's research (see below and see also Holger Knublauch) reveals well-established concepts that have remained largely unchanged. The Generic Frame Protocol Specification (GFP) specification from 1997 provides illuminating insights into terminology such as "Slot," which remains common in modern frameworks like LinkML. Structurally, the field has seen limited evolution, with few approaches successfully bridging fundamental conceptual divides.
A classic example illustrating the complexity of knowledge modeling involves the seemingly simple relationship between a person and their address:
The initial modeling approach assumes a functional dependency: knowing a person's ID automatically provides their address.
Real-world scenarios reveal multiple layers of complexity:
Addresses prove to be constructs serving different purposes:
Advocates for:
Recognizes:
Rather than pursuing optimization, the frustration-avoidance approach prioritizes:
Traditional rigid cardinalities are replaced with statistical relationships to use cases:
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