[PlanetKR] CFP: Explanation-aware Computing @ IJCAI 2011

[Pierre Grenon]

** Apologies if you receive multiple copies of this announcement **
   ** Please forward to anyone who might be interested **


                 SECOND CALL FOR PAPERS
             for the 6th International and
                 IJCAI 2011 Workshop on

        EXPLANATION-AWARE COMPUTING (ExaCt 2011)

           16-17 July 2011, Barcelona, Spain

              http://exact2011.workshop.hm

    ** Paper submission deadline: March 14, 2011 **


Both within AI systems and in interactive systems, the ability to explain
reasoning processes and results can substantially affect system usability.
Good explanations may help to inspire user trust and loyalty, increase
satisfaction, improve domain understanding, or make it quicker and easier
for users to find what they want.

Current interest in mixed-initiative systems provides a new context in
which explanation issues may play a crucial role. When knowledge-based
systems are partners in an interactive socio-technical process, with
incomplete and changing problem descriptions, communication between
human and software systems is a central part. Explanations exchanged
between human agents and software agents may play an important role in
mixed-initiative problem solving.

Other disciplines such as cognitive science, linguistics, philosophy of
science, psychology, and education have investigated explanation as well.
They consider varying aspects, making it clear that there are many
different views of the nature of explanation and facets of explanation to
explore.

The workshop series aims to draw on multiple perspectives on explanation,
to increase understanding of the nature and uses of explanation, to
examine how explanation can be applied to further the development
of robust and dependable systems and to illuminate system processes to
increase user acceptance and feeling of control.

If you would like to participate in discussions on this topic
or like to receive further information about this workshop you
might consider joining the Yahoo!-group
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/explanation-research.
Information on explanation research is also collected here:
http://on-explanation.net.


GOALS AND AUDIENCE
We invite original contributions to the research on explanations
from a variety of areas and communities such as computer science,
cognitive science, linguistics, philosophy of science, psychology,
and education. In addition to presentations and discussions of
invited contributions and invited talks, this workshop will offer
organised and open sessions for targeted discussions and creating
an interdisciplinary community. Demonstration sessions will
provide the opportunity to showcase explanation-enabled/-aware
applications.


TOPICS OF INTEREST
Suggested topics for contributions (not restricted to IT views):
* Models and knowledge representations for explanations
* Quality of explanations; understandability
* Integrating application and explanation knowledge
* Explanation-awareness in (designing) applications
* Methodologies for developing explanation-aware systems
* Explanations and learning
* Context-aware explanation vs. explanation-aware context
* Confidence and explanations
* Privacy, trust, and explanation
* Empirical studies of explanations
* Requirements and needs for explanations to support human
 understanding
* Explanation of complex, autonomous systems
* Co-operative explanation
* Visualising explanations
* Dialogue management and natural language generation
* Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and explanation

Submissions on additional topics are very welcome.


SUBMISSIONS AND STYLE
Workshop submissions will be electronic, in pdf format only, using
the EasyChair submission system linked from the workshop website.

Papers must be written in English and not exceed 10 pages in the
Springer LNCS format. At least one author of each accepted paper
must register for the workshop and the IJCAI conference and present
the contribution in order to be published in the workshop
proceedings. The organising committee is considering editing a
special issue of an appropriate international journal (e.g., to
submit a proposal to Kluwer's Knowledge-based Systems, Elsevier's
Expert Systems with Applications, or Springer's Information System
Frontiers) depending on the number and quality of the submissions.

Those wishing to participate without a paper submission should
submit a brief synopsis of their relevant work or a brief statement
of interest.

The workshop proceedings will be published online and on CD by IJCAI.

If you have questions please contact the chairs using the following
email address: chairs at exact2011.workhop.hm.


IMPORTANT DATES
Submission deadline:                     March 14, 2011
Notification of acceptance:              April 25, 2011
Camera-ready versions of papers:         May 16, 2011
ExaCt Workshop:                          July 16-17, 2011


WORKSHOP SCHEDULE
The schedule will be made available on the workshop website. See the
workshop website for an agenda overview and links to past workshops.


INVITED TALKS
Talks by two invited speakers, each representing a different community
addressing explanation issues, are planned.


CHAIRS
Thomas Roth-Berghofer, Institute of Computer Science,
University of Hildesheim, Germany
thomas.roth-berghofer at uni-hildesheim de

David B. Leake, School of Informatics and Computing,
Indiana University, USA
leake at cs indiana edu

Nava Tintarev, Natural Language Generation Group,
University of Aberdeen, UK
n.tintarev at abdn ac uk


PROGRAMME COMMITTEE
Agnar Aamodt, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)
David W. Aha, Navy Center for Applied Research in AI,
 Washington DC, USA
Martin Atzmüller, University of Kassel, Germany
Patrick Brézillon, LIP6, France
Jörg Cassens, University of Lübeck, Germany
Giuseppe Carenini, University of British Columbia, Canada
Ashok Goel, Georgia Tech University, Atlanta, GA, USA
Pierre Grenon, KMI, The Open University, UK
Anders Kofod-Petersen, SINTEF, Norway
David McSherry, University of Ulster, UK
Hector Muñoz-Avila, Lehigh University, USA
Paulo Pinheiro da Silva, University of Texas, El Paso, USA
Enric Plaza, IIIA-CSIC, Spain
Christophe Roche, University of Savoie, France
Olga Santos, Spanish National University for Distance Education
Sven Schwarz, DFKI, Germany
Gheorghe Tecuci, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA
Douglas Walton, University of Windsor, Canada