Framework for ontology evolution based on a multi-attribute alignment method

Abstract

In this paper we want to investigate how to measure changes that occur when ontologies evolve in time. In the modern semantic online environments users cannot assume that initially created ontologies will remain static throughout the whole lifespan of particular application. Moreover, alignments originally established between such ontologies can become stale and invalid when certain changes have been applied to maintained ontologies. Therefore, such mappings should evolve in parallel. These issues raise some important questions: How to express changes introduced to ontologies? When the revalidation of alignments should occur? Is it necessary to relaunch an alignment procedure for the whole ontologies or is it possible to check and adjust only small fragments of mappings affected by applied modifications?