Metamodeling-Based Coherence Checking of OWL Vocabulary Background Models

Abstract

The surface (or, foreground) structure of linked data and their associ- ated OWL vocabularies can be complemented by background models expressing valid ontological distinctions that may have become obscured by the modeling style chosen by the vocabulary designer. Background models can generally serve for debugging, visualization, matching, or even pattern-based design of opera- tional ontologies such as linked data vocabularies. An example of a well-known background model language, primarily suited for taxonomic ontologies, is the system of OntoClean meta-properties. We present an alternative type of back- ground model language, dubbed PURO, which is oriented towards linked data on- tologies, and relies on particular-universal and relationship-object dichotomies. Typical 'foreground' manifestations of background language terms are then dis- cussed. We demonstrate how a PURO background structure of OWL vocabularies can be itself modeled in OWL using a dedicated PURO ontology, and how rea- soning over such a metamodel can verify ontological coherence of the original OWL vocabularies.