Abstract

We may be presented with an analytical task of an event that draws from many modalities of data (both numerical and categorical in differing proportions). Associated with each data modality may be uncertainty, also measured in both numerical and categorical (nominal and ordinal) frameworks. Nominal uncertainty could be imagined to be an ambiguous word in a sentence while ordinal uncertainty may be expressed as a ‘low’, ‘medium’ or ‘high’ estimate. What theoretical constructs offer an appropriate structure for aggregating confidences of this mixed nature? Through a case study, drawing on open Web data, can we demonstrate that the proposed framework aggregates uncertainty in a consistent and meaningful manner?