The State of the Art in Ontology Design: A Survey and Comparative Review

TLDR

Interoperability of independently created ontologies requires a common framework for knowledge sharing and reuse. The article develops a framework for comparing ontologies and applies it to several prominent ontology projects. The authors selected ten ontology projects and evaluated them using a comparison framework that examines purpose, scope, size, formalism, design process, evaluation methods, content structure, and application use. The study reveals substantial diversity in ontology design and representation, clarifying the range of alternatives for a standard ontology design framework.

Abstract

In this article, we develop a framework for comparing ontologies and place a number of the more prominent ontologies into it. We have selected 10 specific projects for this study, including general ontologies, domain-specific ones, and one knowledge representation system. The comparison framework includes general characteristics, such as the purpose of an ontology, its coverage (general or domain specific), its size, and the formalism used. It also includes the design process used in creating an ontology and the methods used to evaluate it. Characteristics that describe the content of an ontology include taxonomic organization, types of concept covered, top-level divisions, internal structure of concepts, representation of part-whole relations, and the presence and nature of additional axioms. Finally, we consider what experiments or applications have used the ontologies. Knowledge sharing and reuse will require a common framework to support interoperability of independently created ontologies. Our study shows there is great diversity in the way ontologies are designed and the way they represent the world. By identifying the similarities and differences among existing ontologies, we clarify the range of alternatives in creating a standard framework for ontology design.