Software engineering approach to enterprise-strength ontology engineering

Abstract

Semantic network is a promising technological platform that uses the internet and intranet, and related software technologies to explicitly integrate disparate applications in linked organisations such as enterprises. A primary element of the semantic network is ontology. The adoption of semantic network in enterprises is impeded by the lack of enduring methodologies for engineering reliable ontologies to support the evolving enterprise applications on the envisaged meaning-laden network. Consequently, the paper recognises the systematic and disciplined approach of Software Engineering (SE) as relevant course for Enterprise-strength Ontology Engineering (EsOE), and sets out to reflect EsOE in the light of SE. It identifies the common ground among the contemporary SE models, and suggests exploiting these commonalities to serve as a basis for EsOE. Following the idea of maturity models, the proposed high-level methodology is structured into three levels of realisation, each described by a process, namely, Engineering, Project-focus and Organisation-focus processes.