Generation Challenges 2010

自然语言生成（NLG）是自然语言处理（NLP）的子领域，涉及开发自动生成语言的计算方法。NLG技术的可能应用包括节省文本制作过程，改善非语言信息的获取，以及机器翻译，文本摘要和人机对话。NLG是一个潜力巨大但迄今为止尚未实现的领域。在其他nlp领域，共享数据、共享核心技术和有组织的共享任务竞赛已经被视为激励了研究社区，并导致了快速的技术进步。在NLG研究人员中，对比较形式的评估越来越感兴趣，导致了一场讨论，现在已经导致了NLG的前三个共享任务评估竞赛：2007年，我们组织了一个试点的NLG共享任务评估活动，即生成参考表达式的属性选择（ASGRE'07）挑战赛；2008年，我们组织了ReferringExpression Generation Challenge (REG'08)，参与人数翻了一番，并与领先的国际会议INLG （INLG'08在俄亥俄州哥伦布市）同地举行；今年，我们组织了第一代挑战活动，任务数量，组织团队和参与者进一步增加，并与NLG的主要欧洲会议（雅典ENLG'09）在同一地点举行。ASGRE'07， REG'08和generation Challenges 2009在nlgre研究人员中引起了极大的热情，创造了新的技术和数据来源，并吸引了新的研究人员进入该领域。为了继续并增加这些有益的影响，我们正在组织第四次NLG评估活动，“Generation Challenges 2010”，再次与领先的NLG会议（INLG'10）结合。“世代挑战2010”包括两个从前一年的任务发展而来的任务，两个新任务，以及三个目前正在开发的新任务工作组，预计将于2011年运行。为了使“世代挑战”计划更具永久性和代表性，我们最近成立了“世代挑战”指导委员会，其成员包括许多NLG领域的领先研究人员。我们2010年的目标是建立适当的机制，以确保“世代挑战”计划的长期延续，并让越来越多的科学家组织和运行他们自己的任务。与美国政府机构资助和指导的机器翻译和文档总结的领先评估计划不同，ASGRE'07， REG'08, GenChal'09和现在的Generation Challenges2010是基于社区的，由英国领导的评估计划。该提案要求为总体组织和行政活动提供资金，以及为“2010年世代挑战”中的一项共同任务提供数据准备和评估实验，使我们能够执行计划活动的全部范围，并保持这项倡议以社区为基础并由英国主导。

Natural Language Generation (NLG) is the subfield of Natural LanguageProcessing (NLP) that is concerned with developing computationalmethods for automatically producing language. Possible applicationsof NLG technology include economising text-production processes andimproving access to non-verbal information, as well as machinetranslation, text summarisation and human-computer dialogue. NLG is afield with vast but so far largely unrealised potential. In other NLPfields, shared data, shared core technology and organised shared-taskcompetitions have been seen to galvanise research communities, andlead to rapid technological progress. Among NLG researchers, growinginterest in comparative forms of evaluation led to a discussion whichhas now resulted in the first three shared-task evaluationcompetitions in NLG: in 2007, we organised a pilot NLG shared-taskevaluation event, the Attribute Selection for Generating ReferringExpressions (ASGRE'07) Challenge; in 2008, we organised the ReferringExpression Generation Challenge (REG'08) which saw participationdouble and was co-located with the leading international conference inNLG (INLG'08 in Columbus, Ohio); and this year, we organised the firstGeneration Challenges event which saw the number of tasks, organisingteams and participants increase further and was co-located with the leadingEuropean conference in NLG (ENLG'09 in Athens). ASGRE'07, REG'08 andGeneration Challenges 2009 have met with enthusiasm among NLGresearchers, have resulted in the creation of new technology and dataresources, and have drawn new researchers into the field. In order tocontinue and increase these beneficial effects, we are organising afourth NLG evaluation event, Generation Challenges 2010, once again inconjunction with the leading NLG conference (INLG'10). GenerationChallenges 2010 comprises two tasks that have grown out of tasks fromthe previous year, two new tasks, and three working groups on new taskscurrently under development which are expected to run in 2011. Inorder to put the Generation Challenges initiative on a more permanentand representative footing, we have recently founded the GenerationChallenges Steering Committee whose members include many of theleading researchers in the NLG field. Our aim for 2010 is to putmechanisms in place that ensure the long-term continuation of theGeneration Challenges initiative and the inclusion of growing numbersof researchers organising and running their own tasks. Unlike leadingevaluation initiatives in Machine Translation and DocumentSummarisation, which are funded and directed by US governmentagencies, ASGRE'07, REG'08, GenChal'09 and now Generation Challenges2010 are community-based, UK-led evaluation initiatives. Thisproposal requests funding for umbrella organisation and administrativeactivities, as well as data preparation and evaluation experiments forone of the shared tasks in Generation Challenges 2010, to enable us tocarry out the full range of planned activities, and to keep thisinitiative community-based and UK-led.