ONTOLOGY

D.Geraldine Bessie Amali

Assistant Professor
SCOPE

Definitions
Refers to a rich, formal logic-based model for
describing a knowledge domain.
An ontology is an explicit description of a domain
concepts
properties and attributes of concepts
constraints on properties and attributes
individuals

It formally represents knowledge as a set of

concepts within a domain, and the relationship
between the pairs of concepts.
It can be used to model a domain and support
reasoning about concepts.

An ontology together with a set of individual

instances of classes constitutes a knowledge
base.
In practical terms, developing an ontology includes:
defining classes in the ontology
arranging the classes in a taxonomic (subclass
superclass) hierarchy
defining slots and describing allowed values
for these slots.
filling in the values for slots for instances.

Why develop an
ontology?
To share common understanding of the structure
of information
Among people
Among software agents

To enable reuse of domain knowledge

Ontologies are composed of statements about a

domain.
These statements relate individuals, properties, and
classes and are sometimes referred to as triples.
Statements assert something about the domain and
take the form of <Subject> < Predicate> <Object>
FrenchWine is-a Wine.
In this statement, both Wine and FrenchWine are
classes that are related through subclassing, as
indicated by the "is-a" predicate.

Classes and Individuals

The term 'class' will denote a collection or set of
individuals.
Eg : Person, Class of computers
An individual or object is a particular entity that
exists and belongs to a class.
Eg: John, Laptop

Super classes and Sub

classes
A subclass is a sub collection of objects in the way
that the class of laptop computers forms a sub
collection of the class containing all (types of)
computers.
In the same way the class of all (types of)
computers is a superclass of the class of laptop
computers.

Types of classes
Disjoint classes:
The classes should have no member in common
({Animals, Plants} ) , ( {Males, Females})
Exhaustive Decomposition:
({Americans, Mexicans, Canadians}, North
Americans)
Partition:
Disjoint exhaustive decomposition
({Males,Females}, Animals)

Properties
Data type:
Datatype property of an individual is a linking of
that individual to a to a data type.
Eg: Harry hasAge 18
Apple hascolor red
Object Property:
An object property of an individual as a linking of
that individual to a second individual.
Eg: John friendof Harry
Peter is fatherof Mary

Types of properties
Functional:
If a property is functional, for a given individual,
there can be at most one individual that is related
to the individual via the property.

Inverse Property:
Jean is BirthMotherOf Mary, Mary hasBirthMother
Jean
Transitive:
If a property is transitive, and the property relates
individual a to individual b, and also individual b
to individual c, then we can infer that individual a
is related to individual c via property P
P1 istallerthan P2 ^ P2 is tallerthan P3 => P1
istallerthan P3

 Symmetric:
If a property P is symmetric, and the property
relates individual a to individual b then individual
b is also related to individual a via property P

Reflexive
A property P is said to be reflexive when the
property must relate individual a to itself.

using the property knows, an individual George

must have a relationship to itself using the
property knows. In other words, George must
know himself.

Irreflexive
If a property P is irreflexive, it can be described as
a property that relates an individual a to
individual b, where individual a and individual b
are not the same.

an individual Alice can be related to individual Bob

along the property motherOf, but Alice cannot be
motherOf herself

Property Domain and

Ranges
Properties link individuals from the domain to
individuals from the range.
Property-> hasTopping --- Will link instances of class
Pizza with instances in class Toppings
Domain --- Pizza
Range ---- Toppings
Property -> hasBase Will link instances of class Pizza
with instances in class Base
Domain Pizza
Range -- Base

Property Restrictions
Existential Restrictions
Existential restrictions describe classes of individuals that
participate in at least one relationship along a specified
property to individuals that are members of a specified
class.
the class of individuals that have at least one (some)
hasTopping relationship to members of MozzarellaTopping".
Universal Restrictions
Universal restrictions describe classes of individuals that
for a given property only have relationships along this
property to individuals that are members of a specified
class.
For example, the class of individuals that only have
hasTopping relationships to members of VegetableTopping".

Building an Ontology
Ontology of Pizzas