information and information structures
David E. Wojick
dwojick at HUGHES.NET
Tue Apr 10 05:50:39 EDT 2007
Dear Loet,
When you speak of information systems are you referring to specific kinds of nodes and link relations? If so what are they? You seem to have something specific in mind.
In contrast, my general theory is designed to define all the possible kinds of links (i.e., relations) between pieces of information, in such a way that we can sort out the important structures. Change over time may or may not be important, depending on the structure, as well as the application of the analysis.
Cheers, David
At 12:46 AM 4/10/2007, you wrote:
>Dear David,
>
>Yes, the time dimension makes it urgent because in information systems the values of he variables change and the eigenvectors (representing the underlying structure) may change. Repeating the analysis for different years then leads to comparative statics. For a dynamic analysis one needs a calculus. Information theory offers a calculus (Bar-Hillel, 1955; Theil, 1972), while the measurement results for each moment of time can also be fully appreciated.
>
>With best wishes,
>
>
>Loet
>
>
>On 4/9/07, David E. Wojick <<mailto:dwojick at hughes.net>dwojick at hughes.net> wrote:
>Adminstrative info for SIGMETRICS (for example unsubscribe): <http://web.utk.edu/~gwhitney/sigmetrics.html>http://web.utk.edu/~gwhitney/sigmetrics.html
>Dear Loet,
>
>
>I will look into this with interest. For my part, I agree that most of the information structures I am talking about can be represented as matrices, although I prefer to visualize them as linear, tree-like or network-like arrays, depending on the case. Each structure is defined by some relation or set of relations among the pieces of information. So far so good.
>
>
>Given my definition of information, each piece of information is theoretically an atomic proposition. However, since the number of atomic propositions in a sentence is typically roughly equal to half the number of words, we usually work at a courser scale. Pieces of information may be sentences, whole documents, or even collections of documents.
>
>
>As I explain, pieces of information can be related according to their propositions, their physical expressions, their referents (what the propositions are about), or a combination. For any given body of information there will usually be a large number of important relation types, so there are in fact many matirices of interest. And yes many of these change over time. In this context the matrices all exist, whether we know it or not. That is, how the information is related is a fact about the information, independent of our analysis.
>
>
>Important relations (or matrices) in common use range from alphabetical order applied to some aspect of the expression, to the so-called topic, which is usually an aspect of what the information is about. Many popular categorization schemes merge and confuse what are actually different relations.
>
>
>Probability does not enter into it so far as I can tell, so I am interested how this may relate to your matrices? Perhaps that has to do with the change over time?
>
>
>Best wishes, David
>
>
>
>
>Dear David,
>
>In reaction to your paper entitled "Outline of a new model of information contents and structure," let me shortly react.
>
>I would be inclined to think about information and information structures in terms of the dimensionality of the probability distribution. For example, a structure requires a network and thus a two-dimensional matrix can contain this information. An information system would additionally require that the structure is extended along the time axis and this would lead to matrices at each moment of time and thus a three-dimensional cube of information would be required. Unstructured information can be considered as a vector. One can extend beyond a three-dimensional array towards a hyper-cube of information.
>
>In <http://www.leydesdorff.net/evolcomm/index.htm>The Evolution of Communication Systems, Int. J. Systems Research and Information Science 6 (1994) 219-30. I elaborated this scheme as follows:
>
>Table I Organization of concepts in relation to degrees of freedom in the probability distribution
>
>----------
> first second third fourth
> dimension dimension dimension dimension
>
>operation variation selection stabilization self-organization
>
>nature entropy; extension; localized identity or
> disturbance network trajectory regime
>
>character probabilistic; deterministic; reflexive; globally
>of uncertain structural reconstructiv organized;
>operation resilient
>
>appearance instantaneous spatial; historically hyper-cycle in
> and volatile multi-variate contingent space and time
>
>unit of change in latent stabilities virtual
>observation terms of positions during expectations
> relations history
>
>type of descriptive multi-variate time-series non-linear
>analysis registration analysis analysis dynamics
>
>----------
>The complexity of the declared information system (the data) thus determines the type of analysis which is possible. (In my book The Sociology of Communication (2003), this scheme is discussed on pp. 99 ff.)
>
>With best wishes,
>
>
>Loet
>
>----------
>Loet Leydesdorff
>Amsterdam School of Communications Research (ASCoR)
>Kloveniersburgwal 48, 1012 CX Amsterdam
>Tel.: +31-20- 525 6598; fax: +31-20- 525 3681
><mailto:loet at leydesdorff.net>loet at leydesdorff.net ; http://www.leydesdorff.net/
>
>
>
>
>
>----------
>From: ASIS&T Special Interest Group on Metrics [mailto:SIGMETRICS at listserv.utk.edu] On Behalf Of David E. Wojick
>Sent: Sunday, April 08, 2007 7:12 PM
>To: <mailto:SIGMETRICS at listserv.utk.edu>SIGMETRICS at listserv.utk.edu
>Subject: Re: [SIGMETRICS] The communication of meaning in social systems; preprint version available
>
>Adminstrative info for SIGMETRICS (for example unsubscribe): <http://web.utk.edu/~gwhitney/sigmetrics.html>http://web.utk.edu/~gwhitney/sigmetrics.html
>Dear Loet,
>
>It is delightful to get something like this on a holiday. I take it this is what the phenomenology of meaning looks like these days. Not that I pretend to understand phenomenology, so please correct me if I am wrong. I also take it that the interpretation of the parameters in the very interesting equations, as well as the technical concepts being used, is to be found in the cited references.
>
>Since I have also presented a theory of the nature of information here, I thought it appropriate that I speculate upon the difference between this body of work and my own.
>CF: <http://www.bydesign.com/powervision/Mathematics_Philosophy_Science/in>http://www.bydesign.com/powervision/Mathematics_Philosophy_Science/information.html
>
>My work derives from the tradition of analytical philosophy and mathematical logic begun by Russell and Wittgenstein. I suggest that it is looking at meaning in a very narrow sense, as exemplified by the atomic proposition. The phenomenological tradition is looking at meaning in a very broad sense, what it is to be meaningful if you like.
>
>The human condition is rich enough to accommodate both approaches and so I do not see any disagreement here between us. The question is if there is any connection?
>
>Best regards,
>
>David
>
>
>
>Adminstrative info for SIGMETRICS (for example unsubscribe): <http://web.utk.edu/~gwhitney/sigmetrics.html>http://web.utk.edu/~gwhitney/sigmetrics.html
>
><http://www.leydesdorff.net/meaning0704/index.htm>The communication of meaning in social systems
>
><http://www.leydesdorff.net/meaning0704/meaning0704.pdf>pdf-version
>
>Abstract
>
>The sociological domain is different from the psychological one insofar as meaning can be communicated at the supra-individual level (Sch�tz, 1932; Luhmann, 1984). The computation of anticipatory systems enables us to distinguish between these domains in terms of weakly and strongly anticipatory systems with a structural coupling between them (Maturana, 1978). Anticipatory systems have been defined as systems which entertain models of themselves (Rosen, 1984). The model provides meaning to the modeled system from the perspective of hindsight, that is, by advancing along the time axis towards possible future states. Strongly anticipatory systems construct their own future states (Dubois, 1998a and b). The dynamics of weak and strong anticipations can be simulated as incursion and hyper-incursion, respectively. Hyper-incursion generates �horizons of meaning� (Husserl, 1929) among which choices have to be made by incursive agency.
>
>
>Loet Leydesdorff & Sander Franse
>
>----------
>Amsterdam School of Communications Research (ASCoR)
>Kloveniersburgwal 48, 1012 CX Amsterdam
>Tel.: +31-20- 525 6598; fax: +31-20- 525 3681
><mailto:loet at leydesdorff.net>loet at leydesdorff.net ; http://www.leydesdorff.net/
>
>Now available: <http://www.universal-publishers.com/book.php?method=ISBN&book=1581129378>The Knowledge-Based Economy: Modeled, Measured, Simulated . 385 pp.; US$ 18.95
><http://www.universal-publishers.com/book.php?method=ISBN&book=1581126956>The Self-Organization of the Knowledge-Based Society ; <http://www.universal-publishers.com/book.php?method=ISBN&book=1581126816>The Challenge of Scientometrics
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>--
>
>"David E. Wojick, Ph.D." <<mailto:WojickD at osti.gov>WojickD at osti.gov>
>Senior Consultant -- The DOE Science Accelerator <http://www.osti.gov/innovation/scienceaccelerator.pdf>http://www.osti.gov/innovation/scienceaccelerator.pdf
>http://www.osti.gov/innovation/
>A strategic initiative of the Office of Scientific and Technical Information, US Department of Energy
>
>(540) 858-3150
>391 Flickertail Lane, Star Tannery, VA 22654 USA
><http://www.bydesign.com/powervision/resume.html>http://www.bydesign.com/powervision/resume.html provides my bio and client list.
><http://www.bydesign.com/powervision/Mathematics_Philosophy_Science/>http://www.bydesign.com/powervision/Mathematics_Philosophy_Science/ presents some of my own research on information structure and dynamics.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>--
>Loet Leydesdorff
>Amsterdam School of Communications Research (ASCoR)
>Kloveniersburgwal 48, 1012 CX Amsterdam
>Tel.: +31-20- 525 6598; fax: +31-20- 525 3681
><mailto:loet at leydesdorff.net>loet at leydesdorff.net ; http://www.leydesdorff.net/
>---------------------------------------
>Now available: The Knowledge-Based Economy: Modeled, Measured, Simulated, 385 pp.; US$ 18.95;
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