We apologise should you receive this message more than once. ANNOUNCEMENT AND CALL FOR PARTICIPATION ISIPTA '99, the First International Symposium on Imprecise Probabilities and Their Applications, will be held in Ghent, Belgium, from 29 June until 2 July 1999. Imprecise probability is a generic term for the many mathematical models which measure chance or uncertainty without sharp numerical probabilities. Such models are needed in inference problems where the relevant information is scarce, vague or conflicting, and in decision problems where preferences are incomplete. Imprecise probability models are being studied and applied by a large number of researchers working in a great variety of fields. The aim of this symposium is to bring these people together to present recent research and to discuss issues of common interest. The symposium format -------------------- The symposium is intended to promote discussion and interaction between participants. Various theories of imprecise probability have been developed, without a common meeting place that would enable the theories to be discussed and compared. To rectify this situation the symposium will have an unusual format in some respects: instead of invited speakers, there will be discussion sessions on topics that are important, controversial and of general interest; there will be no parallel sessions; and besides the usual paper presentations in plenary sessions, there will be poster presentations which enable discussions to take place in a more informal atmosphere. About the papers ---------------- About 50 papers will be presented at the symposium, on a wide range of topics. They include a number of survey papers on applications and problems of current interest. The topics include mathematical models for uncertainty, conditioning rules, models for independence, combination of uncertainties, algorithms for computing inferences, coherence, hierarchical models, imprecise Markov processes, decision making, vagueness aversion, and Ellsberg's paradox. The applications to be presented at the symposium include applications in economics, decision making, statistical inference, experimental studies of human judgement, artificial intelligence, reliability, dynamical systems, robotics, classification, and legal problems. The working language of the symposium will be English. Tutorials --------- On Tuesday 29 June, the day before the actual ISIPTA symposium begins, there will be three tutorials on some of the fundamental concepts of imprecise probability. These tutorials are aimed primarily at students and others who wish to learn more about the basic ideas, and also at ISIPTA participants who may want to understand the background to some of the papers that will be presented during the symposium, especially the papers on decision making, economic applications and experimental psychology. Unlike the papers presented during ISIPTA, the tutorials will be mainly concerned with very basic concepts and not with advanced or recent research. The three tutorials will cover the following topics. 1. An Introduction to the Mathematics of Imprecise Probabilities Lecturer: Peter Walley. Topics: definitions of the various mathematical models (upper/lower probabilities and previsions, coherence, Choquet capacities, belief functions, possibility measures, etc.), their mathematical properties, the relationships between them, definitions of upper and lower expectations and conditioning rules. Duration: approx. 2 hours. 2. An Introduction to Ellsberg's Paradox, Ambiguity Aversion and Related Topics in Experimental Psychology Lecturer: Michael Smithson (Australian National University). Topics: Ellsberg's experiment, and other empirical work on ambiguity aversion (vagueness aversion) and related topics. This tutorial will explain the background to the papers on experimental psychology and ambiguity aversion that will be presented at the symposium. Duration: approx. 1 hour. 3. Decision Theories Based on Non-Additive Measures of Uncertainty Lecturer: Jean-Yves Jaffray (Universite Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris 6). Topics: non-expected-utility decision theories (i.e., alternatives to maximising expected utility), the motivations behind them, their interpretations, and some basic tools like convex capacities and the Choquet integral. Most of the ISIPTA papers that are concerned with decision making and economic applications are based on the concepts covered in this tutorial. Duration: approx. 2 hours. Presentation of the papers -------------------------- The accepted papers will be presented in plenary and poster sessions, from Wednesday 30 June until Friday 2 July. The group discussions will also take place during these three days. There will be no parallel sessions. Venue ----- The first ISIPTA '99 symposium will be held in conference room Rector Vermeylen (second floor) of Het Pand, a former Dominican monastery (13th century), now owned by the Universiteit Gent. Het Pand is located in the historic centre of Ghent, at the following address: Onderbergen 1, 9000 Ghent. For more information, consult the symposium web site under the heading VENUE AND TOURIST INFORMATION. Tourist information ------------------- Ghent is one of the oldest cities in Flanders, the Dutch speaking northern part of Belgium. It is a city rich in history, architecture, art, culture and gastronomy. It is also very close to other historical Flemish cities such as Bruges and Antwerp. More details, and links to tourist information about Ghent, Flanders and Belgium can also be found at the symposium web site under the heading VENUE AND TOURIST INFORMATION. Accommodation in Ghent ---------------------- You can request hotel accommodation in Ghent, at a range of prices, from the Belgian Tourist Reservation board (before 1 June 1999). More details, and the appropriate reservation form, can be found on the symposium web site under the heading HOW TO FIND ACCOMMODATION. Please book your accommodation early, as June and July are very busy months in Ghent. Registration fees and deadlines ------------------------------- There are two types of registration: + full registration: includes sessions, coffee breaks, reception, banquet and a copy of the proceedings + student registration: includes sessions, coffee breaks and reception The tutorial sessions are free of charge, but we want to stress that their purpose is to explain the basic concepts of imprecise probability rather than to describe advanced research. For the student registration, we require proof of student status (copy of student card). The deadline for early registration is 31 May 1999. If you register later than 31 May, your registration will be considered as an on-site registration. before 31 May 1999 (early) | after 31 May 1999 (on-site) ------------------------------------------------------------- student 50 EUR | 70 EUR full 200 EUR | 250 EUR additional banquet ticket: 40 EUR additional copy of proceedings: 50 EUR Registration procedure ---------------------- Detailed information about how to register for participation can be found at the symposium web site under the heading HOW TO REGISTER FOR PARTICIPATION. More information? ----------------- Detailed information about all aspects of the symposium is available on the symposium web site. Questions? ---------- If you have any other questions about the symposium, please contact the ISIPTA'99 Secretariat at the address given below. We strongly encourage e-mail correspondence. ISIPTA '99 Secretariat p/a Gert de Cooman Universiteit Gent Onderzoeksgroep SYSTeMS Technologiepark - Zwijnaarde 9 9052 Zwijnaarde Belgium Telephone: +32-(0)9-264.56.53 Fax : +32-(0)9-264.58.40 E-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web site: http://ensmain.rug.ac.be/~isipta99 Important dates --------------- deadline for early registration 31 May 1999 symposium 29 June - 2 July 1999 tutorials 29 June 1999 sessions 30 June - 2 July 1999 Organising committee -------------------- Gert de Cooman (Universiteit Gent, Belgium, chairman) Dirk Aeyels (Universiteit Gent, Belgium) Fabio G. Cozman (Universidade de Sao Paulo, Brazil) Heidi Jansegers (Tele Atlas, Belgium) Etienne E. Kerre (Universiteit Gent, Belgium) Serafin Moral (Universidad de Granada, Spain) Da Ruan (SCK-CEN, Belgium) Bartel Van de Walle (SCK-CEN, Belgium) Peter Walley (Unversidade de Sao Paulo, Brazil) Program committee ----------------- Gert de Cooman (Universiteit Gent, Belgium) Fabio G. Cozman (Universidade de Sao Paulo, Brazil) Didier Dubois (Universit Paul Sabatier, France) Angelo Gilio (Universita di Catania, Italy) Michel Grabisch (Thomson-CSF, France) Jean-Yves Jaffray (Universite Pierre et Marie Curie, France) Brigitte Jaumard (Ecole Polytechnique de Montreal, Canada) George J. Klir (Binghamton University, USA) Serafin Moral (Universidad de Granada, Spain) Robert Nau (Duke University, USA) Luis R. Pericchi (Universidad Simon Bolivar, Venezuela) Henri Prade (Universite Paul Sabatier, France) David Schmeidler (Tel Aviv University, Israel and Ohio State University, USA) Teddy Seidenfeld (Carnegie Mellon University, USA) Philippe Smets (Universite Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium) Michael Smithson (Australian National University, Australia) Wynn Stirling (Brigham Young University, USA) Lev V. Utkin (Saint-Petersburg Forest Technical Academy, Russia) Peter Walley (Chairman, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Brazil) Nic Wilson (Oxford Brookes University, UK) Our sponsors ------------ The organisation of ISIPTA '99 is made possible through the support of the Universiteit Gent, and the Fund for Scientific Research - Flanders (Belgium).
