Handbook on Ontologies
Reference: Staab & Studer, eds. (2004). International Handbooks on Information Systems, Springer. Source file: CAP_LIB_05.pdf. URL
Summary
The Handbook on Ontologies provides a comprehensive reference on ontology research and practice. It is organized into four parts: (A) Ontology Representation and Reasoning (Description Logics, Frame Logic, RDF(S), OWL, ontology algebra); (B) Ontology Engineering (methodologies, large case studies, OntoClean, ontology learning, knowledge patterns, lexicons); (C) Ontology Infrastructure (management environments, problem-solving methods, multi-agent interaction, merging/mapping, browsing, visualization); and (D) Ontology Applications (knowledge management, eCommerce, semantic portals, hypermedia, enterprise integration, bioinformatics).
The introduction positions ontologies as formal, explicit specifications of shared conceptualizations and traces their rise from knowledge-based systems through the Semantic Web into mainstream information systems.
Key Ideas
- Standard definition: ontology = formal, explicit specification of shared conceptualization.
- Four-part organization: representation, engineering, infrastructure, applications.
- Description Logics and Frame Logic as main representation paradigms.
- OWL, RDF(S), and ontology algebra as Semantic Web foundations.
- Multi-agent systems rely on ontologies for communication semantics.
Connections
Conceptual Contribution
- Claim: Ontologies - formal, explicit specifications of shared conceptualisations - are the unifying infrastructure behind knowledge-based systems, the Semantic Web, and multi-agent communication semantics.
- Mechanism: Four-part reference structure covering representation/reasoning (DL, F-Logic, RDF(S), OWL, ontology algebra), engineering (OntoClean, ontology learning, patterns), infrastructure (management, merging, MAS interaction), and applications (KM, eCommerce, bioinformatics).
- Concepts introduced/used: Ontologies, Description Logics, OWL, RDF, Frame Logic, Ontology Engineering, Semantic Web, Multi-Agent Systems, Agent Communication Languages
- Stance: foundational / survey
- Relates to: Supplies the representational substrate assumed by A Common Ontology Of ACLs, Semantic Description For Agent Design Patterns, and the content-layer opacity of KQML Language And Protocol / FIPA-ACL.
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