International Journal of Semantic Computing Special issue on Managing and Reasoning in the Presence of Inconsistency Guest Editors: Du Zhang California State University [email protected]

Éric Grégoire Université d′Artois [email protected]

Inconsistency is ubiquitous in the real world, in human behaviors, and in the computing systems we build. Inconsistency manifests itself in a plethora of phenomena at different level in the depth of knowledge, ranging from data, information, knowledge, meta-knowledge, to expertise. Data inconsistency arises when patterns in data do not conform to an established range, distribution or interpretation. The exponentially growing volumes of data stemming from almost all types of data being created in digital form, a proliferation of sensors and sensor networks, and other sources such as social networks, complex computer simulations, space explorations, and highresolution imagery and video, have made data inconsistency an inevitability. Information inconsistency occurs when meanings of the same data values become conflicting or when the same attribute for an entity has different data values. Knowledge inconsistency happens when propositions of either declarative or procedural beliefs, in either explicit or tacit form, yield antagonistic outcomes for the same circumstance. Inconsistency can also emerge from metaknowledge or from expertise. How to manage and reason in the presence of inconsistency in computing systems is a very important issue in semantic computing, social computing, and other data-rich or knowledge-rich computing paradigms. It requires that we understand the causes and circumstances of inconsistency, establish proper metrics for inconsistency, adopt formalisms to represent inconsistency, develop ways to recognize and analyze different types of inconsistency, and devise mechanisms and methodologies to manage and handle inconsistency. Topic of Interests This special issue is aimed at providing a broad forum where various issues in managing and reasoning in the presence of inconsistency in data-rich or knowledge-rich systems can be examined from different crosscuts, at different levels of the depth of knowledge, from different domains and applications, and with different logical formalisms. It is meant to further solidify the research efforts and results in this area in the past several years. Contributions are solicited that may range from theoretical or formal treatment of inconsistency, to empirical studies or practical approaches in managing inconsistency. The special issue also welcomes practical and theoretical contributions about algorithmic aspects of inconsistency detecting and handling. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following: •

Classification and delineation of data, information, knowledge, meta-knowledge, or expertise inconsistency

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Methodologies in managing inconsistency Algorithmic approaches to detect and handle inconsistencies Metrics of inconsistency Desirability of inconsistency Inconsistency in large-scale data management and analysis Inconsistency in large-scale knowledge management and analysis Inconsistency in semantic web Inconsistency in crowdsourced knowledge Inconsistency in information security and cyber defense Inconsistency in secure and trustworthy software development Managing and handling inconsistency in multi-agent systems Inconsistency in sensor networks Domain or application specific approaches to inconsistency management Temporal aspects of various types of inconsistency Cognitive models of inconsistency Interplay between rationality and inconsistency Comprehensive survey of the state-of-the-practice in inconsistency management Tools for managing inconsistency in computing systems

Submissions Papers submitted to this special issue must represent original material. Contributors understand that their submissions accepted for review must report research results that have not been submitted to, or published in, another journal. Papers previously published in conference proceedings are eligible for consideration provided that the papers have undergone substantial and extensive revision. In this case, contributors need to inform the guest editors at the time of submission and provide a copy of the previously published work. Contributors are requested to email their submissions [email protected] and [email protected]

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Guideline for contributors can be found at http://www.worldscinet.com/ijsc/mkt/guidelines.shtml. Important Dates Submission deadline: Review result notification: Revision due: Final version due: Tentative date of publication:

June 20, 2011 July 31, 2011 August 20, 2011 August 31, 2011 September, 2011 (Vol.5, No.3)

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