Ontology description languages for high-tech fields of applied engineering

Abstract

The main task of ontology description languages is to describe semantics of domain data. Nowadays, ontology is the most common form of representation of semantically-interconnected data. Ontology consists of a set of concepts in a domain and relations between them. In this paper we consider the problems of existing toolkits for creating semantically-interconnected data storages for engineering domains and propose a solution in the form of an ontology. A modern approach to the classification of assets for ontology engineering is presented. The strengths and weaknesses of the approaches described are highlighted. The paper describes problems of structuring data in the engineering domain and the ways they can be solved using ontologies. A brief review of the common ontology description languages is given. Examples of the applied ontological approach in the database creation in the airspace engineering domain are presented. XML and HTML are highlighted as the most widespread languages in the description of subject areas in modern information systems. The OWL ontology description language is described in detail as the most promising ontology description language recommended by the W3C. Varieties of the OWL language are described in terms of their applicability to solving various problems of describing engineering domains taking into account the limitations of descriptive ability and complexity of the syntax of each version. Examples of the use of the OWL language in engineering domains are given.