Providing OntoObject-Z with Meta-schemas to Structure Specifications of Large Ontologies: A Case Study with Local Area Networks

Abstract

The objective of this paper is threefold.  First, we provide OntoObject-Z with meta-schemas that serve as a means to assist in structuring large ontologies ([Figueiredo, 18], [Shimizu, 23]) that support the specification of complex problem domains such as computer networks and their communication protocols. These meta-schemas enable OntoObject-Z, an ontology language, to enhance the human interpretability of large ontologies. This results in high-level, well-structured, modular specifications for real-scale problem domains, since OntoObject-Z still supports machine interpretability through its refinement method [Bettaz, 23]. Next, we use a case study on local area networks (LANs) to demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach. Finally, we implement the resulting ontology in a human readable syntax of the resource description framework (RDF). To this end, we use an approach to conceptualize the various constructs of OntoObject-Z in RDF, a fundamental component of the web ontology language (OWL). Our ontology can thus be used as a knowledge-based system that can be queried and used for reasoning.