Title: From metadata application profiles to semantic profiling: ontology refinement and profiling to strengthen inference-based queries on the semantic web

Authors: Dimitrios Koutsomitropoulos, George Paloukis, Theodore S. Papatheodorou

Addresses: High Performance Information Systems Laboratory, Computer Engineering and Informatics Dept., School of Engineering, University of Patras, Building B, 26500 Patras-Rio, Greece. ' High Performance Information Systems Laboratory, Computer Engineering and Informatics Dept., School of Engineering, University of Patras, Building B, 26500 Patras-Rio, Greece. ' High Performance Information Systems Laboratory, Computer Engineering and Informatics Dept., School of Engineering, University of Patras, Building B, 26500 Patras-Rio, Greece

Abstract: Ontologies on the Semantic Web form a basis for representing human-conceivable knowledge in a machine-understandable manner. Ontology development for a specific knowledge domain is, however, a difficult task, because the representation produced has to be adequately detailed and broad enough at the same time. The CIDOC-CRM is such an ontology, pertaining to cultural heritage, which we align to the Semantic Web environment: first, transforming it to OWL and then profiling it not in the usual flat metadata sense, but by refining and extending its conceptual structures, taking advantage of OWL semantics. This kind of profiling maintains applicability of the model, while enabling more expressive reasoning tasks. To this end, we construct a mechanism for acquiring implied and web-distributed information that is used to conduct and present a series of experimental inferences on the CRM-profiled form.

Keywords: metadata application profiles; semantic profiling; cultural heritage; ontologies; semantic web; interoperability; inference based queries; ontology development; OWL semantics.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMSO.2007.019445

International Journal of Metadata, Semantics and Ontologies, 2007 Vol.2 No.4, pp.268 - 280

Published online: 11 Jul 2008 *

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