Wastewater Vocab : Epidemiology vs Sanitation
When scoping out a new specification for a particular usage, it's important to consider the stakeholder need while maintaining ontological integrity. While a term may be used in standard procedures by the community, this may fall short of ontological principles and limit the reusability of the data. By using synonymy we can maintain the ontological principles and facilitate reusability while supporting stakeholder need. Similarly, when a new specification engages multiple stakeholders, clarification regarding the precise meaning/definitions is important. Various disciplines frequently attribute divergent meanings to identical terminology, whereas conversely, disparate expressions within stakeholder cohorts may, in fact, pertain to an identical concept. An ontology can define terms explicitly within a specific context, reducing ambiguity and ensuring that everyone is on the same page. In wastewater contextual data stakeholders range from, public health authorities and local government, to wastewater treatment facilities and sanitation, as well as epidemiologists and public health researchers.
This term is being used to reflect a quality of the wastewater, as it is regularly referred amongst sanitation and wastewater treatment facilities. However the definition refelcts the use of this term as an environmental material rather than as a quality.
