We're all Ontologists Now
Ian Bailey
There is no doubt that there is some similarity between data modelling, taxonomy and ontology. They’re all branches of study that attempt to produce a rational model of the world. However, they serve different purposes. Data models define the structure of data about the world, and this is subtly, but significantly different to an ontology which is a model of the world (or at least the part of you’re interested in).
There are a lot of data models and taxonomies in existence. They represent a useful set of information. However, if we wish to integrate this information into something useful, we need a formal and precise method to do it. Especially if we want to develop an ontology from it. Simply dressing an existing data structure up in OWL does not make it an ontology (even it is a conceptual or logical data model).
We’ve been using the BORO methodology and it’s very well suited to re-engineering existing data. In essense, BORO relies on physical existence as its test for how things fit into an ontology. This physical principle is impossible to argue with, so the methodology guarantees results. It is slow though. If anyone claims to have developed an ontology quickly, take it with a pinch of salt. If the W3C is serious about a semantic web, it’s going to take a lot more than just OWL and RDF.
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