In attempting to match GAZ descriptions with ENVO terms it's clear we need a pattern to distinguish Xs from a region defined by a group of Xs: https://code.google.com/p/envo/issues/detail?id=90 The FMA has terms such as "set of X" (they should really be called "collections of X").
But I don't think this is quite analogous. In EVO and GAZ we are typically interested in the mereological sum of the aggregate plus its interstitial regions. E.g. an archipelago is (I think) the islands plus water inbetween. A mountain range may include (I think) as parts some things that are not part of a mountain.
It may nevertheless be useful to define this in terms of a proposed new (or rather reinstated) BFO class for aggregates. There may be cases where it is useful to define an aggregate without its interstices.
From alanruttenberg@gmail.com on January 27, 2014 20:07:59
Submitted by Barry, relaying from Chris
From: Chris Mungall cjmungall@lbl.gov Date: Sun, Dec 22, 2013 at 2:14 PM Subject: ranges, clusters, complexes etc in ENVO To: Barry Smith phismith@buffalo.edu, Pier Luigi Buttigieg p.buttigieg@gmail.com
In attempting to match GAZ descriptions with ENVO terms it's clear we need a pattern to distinguish Xs from a region defined by a group of Xs: https://code.google.com/p/envo/issues/detail?id=90 The FMA has terms such as "set of X" (they should really be called "collections of X").
But I don't think this is quite analogous. In EVO and GAZ we are typically interested in the mereological sum of the aggregate plus its interstitial regions. E.g. an archipelago is (I think) the islands plus water inbetween. A mountain range may include (I think) as parts some things that are not part of a mountain.
It may nevertheless be useful to define this in terms of a proposed new (or rather reinstated) BFO class for aggregates. There may be cases where it is useful to define an aggregate without its interstices.
Something to think about next year,
Compliments of the season, Chris
Original issue: http://code.google.com/p/bfo/issues/detail?id=187