An Overview of OntoClean

OntoClean is a methodology for validating the ontological adequacy of taxonomic relationships. It is based on highly general ontological notions drawn from philosophy, like essence, identity, and unity, which are used to characterize relevant aspects of the intended meaning of the properties, classes, and relations that make up an ontology. These aspects are represented by formal metaproperties, which impose several constraints on the taxonomic structure of an ontology. The analysis of these constraints helps in evaluating and validating the choices made. In this chapter we present an informal overview of the philosophical notions in- volved and their role in OntoClean, review some common ontological pitfalls, and walk through the example that has appeared in pieces in previous papers and has been the basis of numerous tutorials and talks.

Publication type: 
Contributo in volume
Author or Creator: 
Nicola Guarino
Christopher Welty
Publisher: 
Springer-Verlag, Berlin, DEU
Source: 
Handbook of Ontologies in Information Systems, edited by Rudi Studer; Steffen Staab, pp. 201–221. Berlin: Springer-Verlag, 2004
Date: 
2004
Resource Identifier: 
http://www.cnr.it/prodotto/i/140080
urn:isbn:3-540-40834-7
Language: 
Eng
ISTC Author: 
Nicola Guarino's picture
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