[Data-modeling] Dates as Events (was Astronomy: DiscoveryProperties)

[Danny Hillis]

Ok. I am convinced.
-Danny

On May 6, 2008, at 1:25 PM, Jeff Prucher wrote:

> I'm pulling this discussion out of the astronomy thread since it  
> touches on
> things that people who might have stopped reading this thread might  
> want to
> weigh in on.
>
> Didn't we go down this road awhile back when we first started  
> talking about
> an events type?  It seems ever-so-much simpler to put a property  
> with an
> expected type of date/time for this sort of value. Otherwise, we get  
> into
> the sort of modeling where every date assertion should actually be  
> an event,
> and we end up with a model where every person has an associated  
> event "birth
> of X", and all deceased people have a "death of X" event, etc. ad  
> infinitum.
> A data-driven timeline like you suggest can already be made by  
> selecting the
> date/time properties from the types you're interested in, without a
> proliferation of topics like "Jeff Prucher graduates from college".
>
> Jeff Prucher
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: data-modeling-bounces at freebase.com
> > [mailto:data-modeling-bounces at freebase.com] On Behalf Of Danny  
> Hillis
> > Sent: Monday, May 05, 2008 6:45 PM
> > To: Freebase data modeling mailing list
> > Subject: Re: [Data-modeling] Astronomy: Discovery Properties
> >
> > I was trying to imagine a query that would access the
> > "discovery date", and was imagining the use case of plotting
> > a timeline of discoveries, inventions, etc. in the context of
> > other historical events.  If there were topics for historical
> > events, then content of the timeline could be data driven,
> > selected by the categories or genres of the topics.
> > Otherwise, I don't see how to do it without an ad-hoc query
> > for each type discovery, invention, etc.
> > -Danny
> >
> > On May 5, 2008, at 4:35 PM, Jeff Prucher wrote:
> >
> > > To model it as an event, assuming that this means to use
> > the "event"
> > > type to
> > > record information about the discovery of an object, requires the
> > > creation of topics like "The Discovery of Pluto". But all using  
> the
> > > "event"
> > > type gets
> > > us is the start and end dates, and an inclusion/included by
> > tree, the
> > > latter of which probably doesn't apply. This actually seems
> > like more
> > > work for less payoff than just using the properties "discovered  
> by"
> > > and "discovery date", since "discovered by" would have to
> > be on a new
> > > type ("astronomical
> > > discovery") that included the type "event". Unless you had
> > something
> > > else in mind, in which case kindly ignore this message.
> > >
> > > Jeff
> > >
> > >
> > > > -----Original Message-----
> > > > From: data-modeling-bounces at freebase.com
> > > > [mailto:data-modeling-bounces at freebase.com] On Behalf Of Gordon
> > > > Mackenzie
> > > > Sent: Monday, May 05, 2008 4:00 PM
> > > > To: Freebase data modeling mailing list
> > > > Subject: Re: [Data-modeling] Astronomy: Discovery Properties
> > > >
> > > > No I haven't really considered it as an event.
> > > >
> > > > Would it be valuable?
> > > >
> > > > One thing I understand is that there can be multiple  
> discoverer's
> > > > for asteroid's & comets over a period of time (usually
> > within days
> > > > of each other).
> > > >
> > > > I have no knowledge on event modeling though. Do you have an
> > > > existing example or a model in mind?
> > > >
> > > > ~ Gordon
> > > >
> > > > <<< gordon at metaweb.com >>>
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > On May 3, 2008, at 11:18 PM, Danny Hillis wrote:
> > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > On May 2, 2008, at 6:10 PM, Gordon Mackenzie wrote:
> > > > >>
> > > > >> So Celestial Object would have added specifically:
> > > > >>
> > > > >> Discoverer, Discovery Date, Discovery Method,
> > Discovery status,
> > > > >> Discovery Institution/organization
> > > > >>
> > > > >> And then remove/move the data for the related discovery
> > > > properties in
> > > > >> Planet/Asteroid/Comet  types to the equivalents in Celestial
> > > Body.
> > > > >> Planet type might have both jupiter and earth-based radius
> > > > and mass
> > > > >> properties.
> > > > >>
> > > > >
> > > > > Gordon,
> > > > > Have you thought about how the discovery of a planet get
> > > > modeled as an
> > > > > Event?
> > > > > -Danny
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