Penn State researchers are exploring how information technology can help different groups express their opinions about policy issues.

Fred Fonseca, assistant professor of information sciences and technology, and James Martin, associate professor of psychology, studied how the various ontologies of scientists, governments, farmers and non-government organizations can be brought together so those groups can communicate about environmental matters.

An ontology is a formalization of how individuals understand the world and the way people see things, Fonseca said.

The researchers are trying to integrate different points of view about the subject in order to find matches or to make various sides aware of each other. They are using computers, as well as graphics and diagrams, to allow people to do that.

Martin said an ecosystem, like a rainforest, is self-organizing.

For example, trees are self-organizing systems in two ways: they propagate themselves generation to generation, and they grow leaves to gather energy and in turn grow new leaves to gather still more energy.

An example of people seeing things differently is that one person might not see the cyclical nature of the forest. A biologist might be interested in counting the number of species, while a farmer might be interested in knowing only about predators that interfere with his growing crops.

Fonseca said he and Martin face two main challenges. First, they have to devise a way to allow people to represent their views using computers. Second, they need to find similarities in opinions and measure exactly how alike they are.

They are also exploring how language and culture affect peoples' ontologies.

Current tools that allow people to do this are too complex, and Fonseca said he is trying to create a simpler system. For example, creating a system that would help with the understanding of issues like the ecological soundness of a building.

To do this, Fonseca and Martin are trying to develop a conceptual framework that allows people to match ontologies. They will soon be interviewing Pennsylvania Department of Health officials and other Penn State researchers to devise that framework. Later, they will develop software that allows people to express their individual ontologies.

"We can help develop better public policies. The goal is to help different communities understand each other," Fonseca said.

The need to help communication across varying ontologies is not just in the area of ecology, Fonseca said. The problem is faced by online booksellers who try to match their perceptions of how easiest to find a book with those of their customers.

"There's an ontology in every conversation," Martin said.

Martin said information technology and the study of ontologies go together perfectly. "Databases are already the embodiment of conceptual frameworks," he said.

Martin said a hamburger is an example of the complexity behind ecological issues. "It's amazing how many critters are involved in making a hamburger. To be able to detect and appreciate that is just an example of the kind of perspective that comes from knowing self-organizing systems," he said.