HOME	MEBI 534 , Autumn 2006 Biology and Informatics
	Anatomy: Informatics  Assignment 1.  Read the following papers and be prepared to discuss them in class Trelease, R. (2006) Anatomical reasoning in the informatics age: principles, ontologies and agendas. The Anatomical Record (Part B: New Anat.)  289B:72-84. Rosse, C. and Mejino, J. L. V. (2003) A Reference Ontology for Bioinformatics: The Foundational Model of Anatomy. Journal of Biomedical Informatics.  Optional: Mork, P. and Brinkley, J. F. and Rosse, C. (2003) OQAFMA Querying Agent for the Foundational Model of Anatomy: a Prototype for Providing Flexible and Efficient Access to Large Semantic Networks. Journal of Biomedical Informatics 36:501-517. 2. Think about the following questions and be prepared to discuss them What is anatomical reasoning and why is it important? What kinds of information are used to describe anatomy? What is the meaning of the terms "symbolic" and "spatial" in reference to the representation of anatomical information? What is right and what is wrong with these terms? What is the difference between "anatomical data" and "anatomical knowledge"? What is the relationship of "anatomical information" to each of these concepts? What is a terminology? What is an ontology? Can you think of other terms that refer to structured lists of terms? What is the difference between a hierarchy and a taxonomy? What is the difference between a taxonomy and an ontology? How would you decide whether to include a concept in an ontology for anatomy (biological structure) or in an ontology for physiology (biological function)?
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