One of twelve projects at the Minciu Sodas virtual laboratory.

Structures for Thinking

Ways of structuring information, and the associated organizing principles. Andrius Kulikauskas worked on a program "Imintis" for structuring thousands of notes in sequences, hierarchies, and networks.  He wanted to check whether there are no other ways of organizing information.  This study lead to the discovery of a classification of visualizations which, in particular, applies to UML methodologies.  Organizing Thoughts into Sequences, Hierarchies, and Networks, by Andrius Kulikauskas and Saulius Maskeliunas, has been included in the modeling language evaluation seminar EMMSAD'99.  Further work on this study should yield a clearer theoretical understanding of how and why information gets structured.  Of special interest to: Information managers, tool developers.

We invite you to contribute to our survey by sending information to Andrius Kulikauskas at ms@ms.lt  He first started to collect examples in July 1998, in Lithuanian.  Please note this page is currently undergoing a lot of construction as we organize the examples, write up some in more detail, and translate others from Lithuanian into English.



Sequences
Chronicles:
Canons: tax form | math proof
Other: timeline | parallel timelines

Hierarchies
Evolutions: evolution of species | encyclopedia of chess openings | doing taxes
Catalogs:

Networks
Tours:
Atlases:


Sequences

Chronicle

For many years I have collected newspaper and magazine articles of interest and pasted them in scrapbooks. I keep meaning to catalogue the contents on the computer as I'm sure it would be a useful place to get ideas say for articles. I collect cartoons and photos and put them in the scrapbook. [8/99, Charles Cave]

history of nature
chronicle of a nation
history of the cosmos
rhythm organizes a musical composition hierarchically
the whole numbers in decimal notation

Canon

A tax form is made of steps that may need to be skipped or that may refer to other forms.  The Internal Revenue Service maintains an impressive collection.  Compare this with doing taxes. [7/99, Andrius Kulikauskas]

A math proof is written sequentially, but typically involves a tremendous amount of reuse, as well as references to other results.  Compare a math proof with establishing proof. [7/99, Andrius Kulikauskas]

Scriptures
Commentaries.
Epics, like Homer's Iliad.  Poetic allusions, for example, by Homer to myths.
Collected works of an author.
A person's health record, where new conditions may refer back to old ones, or foreshadow new ones.
Product instructions may require steps to be skipped or replaced.

Other

A timeline may be quite simple, for example, listing the events in a famous person's life, from her birth to her death.  Such a listing often lists the years, and sometimes the dates, in which the events occurred.  Often there are parallel timelines.  For example, the appendix of a recent edition of the New Testament contains parallel timelines, one for Palestine, and one for the Roman Empire.  It is quite common to have such pairs of timelines, one for local or personal events, and one for global events.  A history of the world may have seven parallel timelines tracking different regions of the world. [7/99, Andrius Kulikauskas]

correspondence
resume
chromosome
DNA
chapters in a book
piece of music
photo album
e-mail discussion group, threaded discussions

diskografija
almanacho lentelës informacija, rodikliai
byla
genetinë informacija apie gyvybës istorijà
buhalterinë apskaita
dienoraðtis
laikraðtis (dienomis)
kalendorius, tvarkaraðtis
pasakos, pasakojimai
archyvas (iðsaugotinø bylø)
kasos aparatas
muziejus
liaudies ðokis
bibliografija
ðachmatø þaidimø rinkinys
lenktyniø iðdavos, nugalëtojai
muzikos instrumentø dalys veikale (supintos)
vaidinimas, supintas ið vaidmenø
planai ir jø vykdymai
biografija
montavimo lapai
scenarijus
atsiminimai
anketa
Tomas - knygos vidurys
Eilës tvarkos tikslai ir savybës
Galima lyginti tolydþiai, analogijomis, proporcijomis.  Parenki du taðkus eilëje, ir jø pagrindu iðvedama proporcija.  Tai tinka ne tik laikui, bet taip pat ir kitiems matams, pavyzdþiui pinigai, nuotolis, greitis, ir taip toliau.
Gijø vërimas, pynimas, atskyrimas.
Lenteles galima supinti ið metraðèio gijø, tik horizontaliai, ne vertikaliai. (naudoti atskirus stulpelius).  Matricos yra kryþminë tvarka.
Darbas ir jo padalinimas siejasi su seka, su eilës tvarka.
Produktyvumas ir darbo panaudojimas antrà kartà siejasi su eilës tvarka.
Ar pasakojimas remiasi eilës tvarka ?

Hierarchies

Evolution

The evolution of species shows a tree of how different species diverged and may synchronize them according to time periods.  Alternatively, such a diagram may show how species came to vary by length and height. [7/99, Andrius Kulikauskas]

An encyclopedia of chess openings presents a hierarchy of the board positions that unfold as the chessplayers, White and Black, move their pieces from their starting positions.  The editors evaluate the positions that evolve, and indicate whether they are to the advantage of White or Black, and the size of the advantage.  The advantage may be recorded using a discrete scale (worse, slightly worse, roughly equal, slightly better, better) or, in this age of computer chess, using a continuous scale (where, for example, 0.0 is equal and 1.0 is a one pawn advantage for White and there are many subtle values in between).  When either a discrete or continuous scale is used, then we can think about the "identification" of positions of equal value, much as if we "synchronized" them.  This different kind of scale, value of position, achieves a similar effect as time, and is one-dimensional like time, but is not one-directional like time (a game can gravitate towards a win for White, a win for Black, or a draw). Also, the value of the chess position can be described qualitatively, which is important given issues of a chessplayer's style, what positions they are comfortable with.  Even such qualitatively described positions can be "identified", or so to speak, "synchronized".  The evaluation is no longer a one-dimensional parameter, and might be modeled with a multi-dimensional parameter. [7/99, Andrius Kulikauskas]

Doing taxes, for example, income taxes, can be thought of as the completion of many tax forms, ending with the tax form that indicates the final amount to be payed or returned.  Each tax form is then understood to be the expansion of a line from another form.  The tax forms are completed by the tax preparer in a particular order, ending with the final tax form.  This evolution starts from the leaves and heads to the trunk.  Doing taxes involves a different mental picture than completing a single tax form. [7/99, Andrius Kulikauskas]

Establishing a math proof is organized differently than a math proof itself.  Establishing a math proof must be done hierarchically, starting with the final result and working backwards through the premises, to ensure that there are absolutely no unproven or unfounded assumptions.  Establishing a math proof involves a tremendous amount of repetition, whereas a math proof eliminates this repetition with the use of a network of references to proven results, which makes the ideas of the proof much more clear, but makes possible errors of logic. [7/99, Andrius Kulikauskas]

Tas pats iðkyla organizuojant sudëtingesná bendrà uþmojá, kaip didelæ ðventæ, kur pirma atskiriamos atsakomybës, bet visø veikla atsiþvelgia á bendrà kalendoriø (atskirtas darbas tampa bendru).  Ðakø tvarka sutrinka nes nenusako ásivaizduotà priskyrimo tvarkà (pavyzdþiui, laiko) arba atrinkimo tvarkà (pavyzdþiui, ðachmatø atidarymo ávertinimà, arba krautuvës poskyrio pelningumà).  Þodþiu, nëra pagrindo teisingumui.  Ávedamas laikas ar kitas matas, leidþiantis atrinkti pomedá.  Tai pagrindas ávertinimams. Rinkinys:  Jis pirma rûðiuojamas ðakø tvarka, parodyti pavyzdþiø ávairovæ.  Toliau pavyzdþiai skyriuose rikiuojami eilës tvarka.
gemalo vystymasis.
miesto augimo raida
ðventës organizavimas.
virimo knyga
paðto þenklø, monetø rinkinys
krautuvës skyriø pelningumas
ðachmatø atidarymø istorija
ðachmatø atidarymai.  Ðis pavyzdys ádomus dël to, kad naujai ávertintas smulkesnis poskyris gali ið pagrindø pakeisti stambesnio poskyrio ávertinimà.
ekonomininës veiklos rûðiø klasifikatorius
Hierarchiðkai organizuotos sporto varþybos

Warnier/Orr diagrams are hierarchical flowcharts for describing the organization of data and procedures.  They organize information with hierarchical brackets.  The information can be interpreted as a hierarchy of bigger topics and smaller topics, such as Outline { Section1 { Topic B or Customer { Address { City or Print Report { Print Summary { Print Totals or Week { Weekend { Saturday.  A single level in the hierarchy may be interpreted as a sequence running from top to bottom.  Additional notation indicates repetition (for example, from 1 to N), alternation (among possibilities).  Less frequent are concurrency and recursion. [http://www.kenorrinst.com/wo1.html, 8/99, Andrius Kulikauskas]

Catalog

Organizing documents into folders, and folders into drawers, and drawers into cabinets. [7/99, Andrius Kulikauskas]

pantheon
codex
academia
bureaucracy
Galima matyti atskirø dalykø santyká.  Visos galimybës iðsiskiria ðakø tvarka, taèiau kitos paskui sutampa, ar iððaukia vienas kità, ir tai nurodoma rodyklëmis, ávedant kryþminæ tvarkà.  Hierarchija stabili.
bibliotekos katalogas (teminis)
prekiø katalogas
sisteminis þodynas
enciklopedija (redaktoriaus akimis)  Redaktorius pirma turi nuspræsti kokiø straipsniø uþsisakyti.  Kur straipsniø þinios kartotøsi, ten ávedamos nuorodos.
kariuomenës, valdþios, bendrovës pareigos, personalas

Other

a classification of diseases for diagnosis
matematikos knyga - skyriai, poskyriai, teiginiai
funkcijos kompiuterinis apraðas
vadovëliai
filosofinës sistemos
paveldëjimas, patriarchalinë giminystë, matriarchalinë giminystë
vieno þmogaus kilmë, jo ainiai
laikraðtis (skyriais)
krautuvë
Alio reklama
tradicinis kinø kalbos þodynas
automobilio daliø katalogas
sandëlis
restoranø apraðai
vadovai turistams, pvz. Vilnius in Your Pocket
vieðbuèiø apraðai
vizualiai pamatyti iðsiðakojimà
Almanacho, þinyno sistema
Ástatai, konstitucijos, taisyklës
Sutartys
Patarimø knygos
Yearbook
horoskopas, bûrimas
abëcëlinis þodynas
egzaminas
Knygos turinys
Ðakø tvarkos tikslai ir savybës
Gretinti struktûras, skaidymus, taikyti skaidymà.
Brëþiniu parodyti lygmens struktûrà.
Svarbi ne eilës tvarka, o struktûriniai santykiai.
Minèiø rinkimas, rûðiavimas, redagavimas, ir skaidymas.
Ðakø tvarka atskiria mintis, jas rûðiuoja.
Hierarchija leidþia atskirti sritis.  Atsakomybë siejasi su hierarchija.

Networks

Tour

hipertekstas
draugystës ryðiai
marðrutø apraðai iðkylautojams, keleiviams

Atlas

Jame pirmiausia áþiûrime kryþminæ tvarkà, taèiau þinioms gausëjant, remiasi ir ðakø tvarka.  Ávedami platesni ir siauresni þemëlapiai, kad bûtø galima atitinkamai atsiriboti nuo smulkmenø ir peripetijø.
politinis þemëlapis: sàjungos, kraðtai, provincijos, apskritys, seniûnijos
Human anatomy
Scripture thematic encyclopedia
Bûtø naudinga straipsniams ieðkoti pavyzdþiø ið Interneto.  Vienas pavyzdys þemëlapio tvarkos yra sinonimø þodynas (www.plumbdesign.com/thesaurus) kur geriausi sinonimai yra pavaizduoti arèiausi ir didþiausi, o spragtelëjus sinonimà, jis persikelia á centrà ir tokiu bûdu galima iðvaikðèioti þodynà. (Naujoji Komunikacija Nr 12 (29))
Kitas pavyzdys tvarkos yra Smithsonian Instituto paroda "Atskleistieji daiktai" (www.si.edu/organiza/museums/ripley/eap/rt/) á voratinklá sujungia tekstà, vaizdà, garsus.  (Naujoji Komunikacija Nr 12 (29))
Ar pagrindimas remiasi ðakø tvarka ?

Other

knygos rodyklë
pelës deðinysis klaviðius
marðrutø þemëlapis
mitybos tinklas
objekto kompiuterinë programa
melodijos, muzikinës temos
objekto kompiuterinë programa
kinieèiø raðmenys
cheminës molekulës
paslaugø telefonø knyga
prekybiniai ryðiai
giminystës ryðiai
gyvenimø persipynimai (pvz.Holokauste)
paþinèiø tinklai
þodynas (ieðkant apibrëþtøjø þodþiø)
moksliniai straipsniai
metø ðachmatø apþvalga
asociatyvûs ryðiai ávairiø ypatybiø (laukiniame màstyme)
chrestomatija
þodynëlis (glosarijus)
ekspertø sistemos (kur keliami klausimai, yra jø tinklas)
takobraiþa, struktûrinë schema, pvz. inþinerijoje, arba IRS blankams pildyti
informacijos kioskas, kaip kà atlikti
muzikantø narystë ansambliuose
Rodyklës tvarkos tikslai ir savybës
pinasi, kartojasi, pereina ið vieno á kità
kurti þemëlapius visø tam tikros rûðies rodykliø
Kryþminë tvarka yra tas pats kaip matrica, masyvas, lentelë.
Ar ávardijimas remiasi nuorodø tvarka ?
Lentelës tvarkos pavyzdþiai
Fonemø apibrëþimai
Molekuliø savybës
Rodykliø ávairios paskirtys
Kompiuterinëje programoje, iððaukti kità procedûrà.
Nurodyti WWW svetainæ, jos adresà.
Nurodyti kità rinkiná.
Kaip viena tvarka keièiama kita ?
Kokiu pagrindu ávedama antrinë tvarka ?

Other

The Ontology page lists ontology projects from around the world.  Write to top@kr.org   There is a Planning Ontology Construction Group (POCG), Object Model Working Group (OMWG) (restricted), and an ANSI Ad Hoc Group on Ontology Standards.  There are two mailing lists for the latter: Onto-std@ksl.stanford.edu (to subscribe, send a letter to onto-std-request@ksl.stanford.edu with an empty subject and the body "subscribe onto-std email address") and ontology-request@cs.umbc.edu (to subscribe, send a letter to ontology-request@cs.umbc.edu with an empty subject and the body "subscribe ontology email address").  [http://www.kr.org/top/projects.html, 12/99, Andrius Kulikauskas]