Ontologies: principles, methods and applications

TLDR

Disparate backgrounds, languages, tools, and techniques hinder effective communication, but ontologies can improve interoperability, reuse, sharing, and software reliability. The paper aims to provide a comprehensive introduction to ontology design and use, clarifying what ontologies are and their purpose. The authors outline a methodology for developing and evaluating ontologies, covering informal scoping, ambiguity handling, agreement, definition creation, formal approaches, and reviewing state‑of‑the‑art tools and case studies.

Abstract

Abstract This paper is intended to serve as a comprehensive introduction to the emerging field concerned with the design and use of ontologies. We observe that disparate backgrounds, languages, tools and techniques are a major barrier to effective communication among people, organisations and/or software understanding (i.e. an “ontology”) in a given subject area, can improve such communication, which in turn, can give rise to greater reuse and sharing, inter-operability, and more reliable software. After motivating their need, we clarify just what ontologies are and what purpose they serve. We outline a methodology for developing and evaluating ontologies, first discussing informal techniques, concerning such issues as scoping, handling ambiguity, reaching agreement and producing definitions. We then consider the benefits and describe, a more formal approach. We re-visit the scoping phase, and discuss the role of formal languages and techniques in the specification, implementation and evalution of ontologies. Finally, we review the state of the art and practice in this emerging field, considering various case studies, software tools for ontology development, key research issues and future prospects.