UPO

Overview

This page presents the User Profile Ontology (UPO): conceptual model, figures, all main concepts with explanations, an instantiation example (Alex's case) and a short glossary.

Definitions and concept descriptions extracted from the ontology specification.

Conceptual model (figures)

UUser - Person who interacts with the system UPETUser Profile Element Type - types that characterize a user MUPETMeasurable types (Age, Education, Experience) NUPETNominal types (Gender, Language, Disability) DDisability - different disability categories

Figure 1: General structure of the User Profile Ontology (UPO). (Click image to enlarge - click hotspots to jump to concept)

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VDVision Disability - Blindness, Low Vision, Color Deficiency BBlindness LVLow Vision - Reduced Vision, Light Sensitivity, Visual Acuity, Contrast Sensitivity CDColor Deficiency - Dichromacy, Monochromacy, Trichromacy ADAuditory Disability - Complete or Partial Hearing Loss CHLComplete Hearing Loss PHLPartial Hearing Loss CDCognitive Disability - Intellectual Disability, ADHD, Dyslexia, etc. NDNeurological Disability - MS, Parkinson's, Stroke PDPhysical Disability - RSI, Quadriplegia, Amputation

Figure 2: Disability Type taxonomy in UPO - vision, auditory, cognitive, neurological and physical categories and subtypes. (Click image to enlarge - click hotspots to jump to concept)

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Concepts (UFO - Foundational Layer)

• Intrinsic Moment - Intrinsic Moments are moments that inhere in one single individual (e.g., an apple’s color). An example of an intrinsic moment is a Mode (@e.g., John’s desires, intentions, perceptions, symptoms, skills).
• Intrisic Moment Universal - It represents the type of a property that is inherent to a single entity and cannot exist independently of that entity (for example, the color of a car, the temperature of a person). Mode Universals and Quality Universals are subclassifications of Intrinsic Moment Universal.
• Mode - It represents an intrinsic and immeasurable characteristic of an individual, such as beliefs, skills, or thoughts, that cannot be quantified on a scale of values. E.g.: Alex's headache is a Mode, a property that exists only in Alex and cannot be measured or expressed in numerical terms.
• Mode Universal - It is an intrinsic universal moment that is not directly related to quality structures, that is, it denotes a non-measurable property. Its instances are called Modes, which are individual and non-qualitative properties that inhere in an Individual. Unlike qualities, modes cannot be represented in a quality structure or expressed in terms of measurable values. For example, Alex's headache is a Mode, a property that exists only in Alex and cannot be measured or expressed in numerical terms. Other examples of Universal Modes include Abilities, Beliefs, and Thoughts that have existential dependence on a single Individual.
• Person - A human Physical Agent. E.g.: Tim Berners Lee, Dennis Ritchie, Donald Knuth.
• Quale - It is the specific value within that Quality Structure that a Quality assumes for a particular Individual. E.g., if the Quality is a Person's Height, the point in the Quality Structure that represents that Height is the Quale. This value can be represented symbolically, such as the number 1.34 for Alex's height.
• Quality Universal - Quality Universals are those universals whose instances are Qualities. It denotes a measurable property. Examples include weight and height, which can characterize the universal concept of a person.

Concepts (HCIO - Core Layer)

• User - A Person who interacts with (or is expected to interact with) an Interactive Computer System.

Concepts (UPO)

• Auditory Disability - hearing impairments (e.g., Complete or Partial Hearing Loss).
• Blindness - complete lack of vision.
• Cognitive Disability - limitations affecting cognition, planning or understanding (e.g., Intellectual Disability, ADHD, Dyslexia).
• Color Deficiency - conditions affecting color discrimination (e.g., dichromacy, monochromacy, trichromacy).
• Complete Hearing Loss - total deafness.
• Disability / Disability Type - disabilities the user may have; UPO models many disability categories (see taxonomy below).
• Gender / Gender Type - user's social identity/role (e.g., male, female).
• Language / Language Type - language(s) used by the user for communication (e.g., English).
• Low Vision - partial visual impairments (reduced acuity, light sensitivity).
• Measurable User Profile Element Type (examples) - these are types whose instances can be assigned values (User Profile Element Value):
  • Age - the chronological age of the user (e.g., 40 years).
  • Education Level - academic qualification (e.g., Bachelor's, Master's).
  • Experience Level - user's familiarity with the system/technology (e.g., Basic, Average, High).
• Neurological Disability - disorders of nervous system causing mobility/cognitive issues (e.g., Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s Disease, Cerebrovascular Accident).
• Nominal User Profile Element / Types - instances that refer to qualitative characteristics of a User:
  • Gender / Gender Type - user's social identity/role (e.g., male, female).
  • Language / Language Type - language(s) used by the user for communication (e.g., English).
  • Disability / Disability Type - disabilities the user may have; UPO models many disability categories (see taxonomy below).
• Nominal User Profile Element - an instance that characterizes a particular User with respect to a Nominal User Profile Element Type (e.g., Alex’s Gender = male, Alex’s Language = English).
• Partial Hearing Loss - reduced hearing ability.
• Physical Disability - impairments affecting physical functioning, mobility or dexterity (e.g., Quadriplegia, RSI, Amputation).
• User Profile Element Type - a type of intrinsic characteristic that describes aspects of a User. UPO distinguishes two specializations:
  • Measurable User Profile Element Type - quality-like types that allow assignment of numeric/ordered values (e.g., Age, Education Level, Experience Level).
  • Nominal User Profile Element Type - qualitative types without a measurable scale (e.g., Language Type, Gender Type, Disability Type).
• User Profile Element Value - the actual value (a quale in UFO terms) assigned to a Measurable User Profile Element Type for a specific User. Examples from the instantiation: Alex’s Age = 40, Experience Level = Basic, Education Level = Bachelor’s degree.
• Vision Disability - impairments of the visual system (e.g., Blindness, Low Vision, Color Deficiency). Low Vision further specializes into Light Sensitivity, Reduced Vision, Visual Acuity, Contrast Sensitivity.

Instantiation example - Alex's case (UPO)

Instances extracted from the scenario used in the specification (Alex interacting with a social network system). These values illustrate how UPO represents a concrete user's profile.

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