An Ontology to Integrate Multiple Knowledge Domains of Training-Dietary-Competition in Weightlifting: A Nutritional Approach

Abstract

This study is a part of weightlifting “Training-Dietary-Competition” (TDC) cycle ontology. The main objective of TDC-cycle is to build a knowledge framework for Olympic weightlifting, bringing together related fields such as training methodology, weightlifting biomechanics, and nutrition while modelling the synergy among them. In so doing, terminology, semantics, and used concepts are unified among athletes, coaches, nutritionists, and researchers to partially obviate the problem of unclear results and paucity of information. The uniqueness of this ontology is its ability to solve the knowledge sharing problem in which the knowledge owned by these experts in each field are not captures, classified or integrated into an information system for decision-making. The whole weightlifting TDC-cycle is semantically modelled by conceiving, designing, and integrating domain and task ontologies with the latter devising reasoning capability toward an automated and tailored weightlifting TDC-cycle. However, this study will focus mainly on the nutrition domain. The intended application of this part of ontology is to provide a useful decision-making platform for a sport nutritionist who gathers and integrate relevant scientific information, equation, and tools necessary when providing nutritional services. The system is constructed by using Web Ontology Language (OWL), Semantic Web Rule Language (SWRL), and Semantic Query-Enhanced Web Rule Language (SQWRL). The use of weightlifting TDC-cycle ontology can be helpful for nutritionists to create a well-planned nutrition program for athletes (especially, in the process of nutrition monitoring to identify energy imbalance in athletes) by reducing time consumption and calculation errors.