An ontology is an explicit conceptualization of a domain of discourse, and thus provides a shared and common understanding of the domain.[Reim01] We have been producing ontologies for millennia to understand and explain our rationale and environment. From Platos philosophical framework to modern day classification systems, ontologies are, in most cases, the product of extensive analysis and categorization. Only recently has the process of building ontologies become a research topic of interest. Today, ontologies are built very much ad-hoc. A terminology is first developed providing a controlled vocabulary for the subject area or domain of interest, then it is organized into a taxonomy where key concepts are identified, and finally these concepts are defined and related to create an ontology. The intent of this paper is to show that domain analysis methods can be used for building ontologies. Domain analysis aims at generic models that represent groups of similar systems within an application domain. In this sense, it deals with categorization of common objects and operations, with clear, unambiguous definitions of them and with defining their relationships.
Search
Reviews
[Write a review of this article]
Find related articles from these CiteULike users
