Axioms & templates: distinctions & transformationsamongst ontologies, frames, & information models

Abstract

The relationships between "ontologies", knowledge bases, and information models -- and correspondingly between OWL/Description Logics, frames and UML -- remains confusing to many developers. Understanding which to use when and developing effective hybrid systems that exploit the potential synergies requires clarifying key distinctions: between ontology, background knowledge, and information models; between axiombased and template-based systems; and between logical definitions and queries. As a step towards a more coordinated approach to knowledge-rich systems and a platform for incorporating additional technologies, we propose factoring systems into "ontology (narrow sense)", the rest of the "background knowledge base", and the "information model", with clear distinctions, mutual derivations and interfaces amongst them and clear understanding of the semantics and limitations of each.