Formal Concept Analysis: A Smart Tool for Analyzing Complex Data – SmartFCA

Formal Concept Analysis (FCA) is a mathematical framework based on lattice theory and aimed at data analysis and classification. FCA, which is closely related to pattern mining in knowledge discovery (KD), can be used for data mining purposes in many application domains, e.g. life sciences and linked data. Moreover, FCA is human-centered and provides means for visualization and interaction with data and patterns. Actually it is now possible to deal with complex data such as intervals, sequences, trajectories, trees, and graphs. Research in FCA is dynamic, but there is still room for extensions of the original formalism. Many theoretical and practical challenges remain. Actually there does not exist any consensual platform offering the necessary components for analyzing real-life data. This is precisely the objective of the SmartFCA project to develop the theory and practice of FCA and its extensions, to make the related components inter-operable, and to implement a usable and consensual platform offering the necessary services and workflows for KD.
In particular, for satisfying in the best way the needs of experts in many application domains, SmartFCa will offer a ``Knowledge as a Service'' (KaaS) component for making domain knowledge operable and reusable on demand.