Towards a Methodology for the Engineering of Fuzzy Ontologies @ ESWC 2010 Crete, Grece 30/05 -03/06 2010

1. Panos Alexopoulos1,3, Manolis Wallace2 , Konstantinos Kafentzis1 and Dimitris Askounis3
1
IMC Technologies S.A., Athens, Greece
2
Department of Computer Science and Technology, University of Peloponnese, Tripolis, Greece
3
School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National Technical University of Athens, Athens, Greece
Contact: palexopoulos@imc.com.gr http://www.imc.com.gr
The situation: The problem: Our proposal:
Fuzzy Ontology Languages Fuzzy Ontologies attempt to tackle the IKARUS-Onto Conceptual Model
problem of expressing vague Generic and language-independent fuzzy
All provide fuzzy ontology elements but knowledge by borrowing concepts and conceptual model.
none of them gives guidelines on how techniques from Fuzzy Set Theory. Defines the different components a fuzzy
to identify and define such elements in ontology may consist of.
an application scenario.
The key question however is: How IKARUS-Onto Methodology
Ontology Engineering Methodologies we build such an ontology?
Defines the necessary steps for specifying,
They do not define required tasks for conceptualizing and formalizing a fuzzy
dealing with fuzzy ontologies. ontology through the use of the IKARUS-Onto
model.
Fuzzy Ontology
IKARUS-Onto Conceptual Model IKARUS-Onto Methodology
Fuzzy Concepts
Fuzzy Specification
A Fuzzy Concept is a concept which may, in a given domain,
Specification of the ontology's non fuzzy part.
context or application scenario, be interpreted as vague, that is if
there are (or could be) entities for which it is indeterminate whether
Assessment and scoping of the need for fuzziness.
they instantiate C.
Identification of imprecise knowledge sources.
A Fuzzy Instance Statement relates a specific instance to a fuzzy
concept through some fuzzy degree. The fuzzy degree practically Fuzzy Conceptualization
approximates the extent at which the instance falls within the
concept’s application boundaries. Conceptualization of the crisp part of the ontology
Fuzzy Relations Definition of fuzzy relations
A Fuzzy Relation is a relation that can be established Definition of fuzzy concepts
between two or more concept instances and whose
meaning may, in a given domain, context or application Creation of fuzzy relation statements
scenario, be interpreted as vague, that is if there are or
could be entity pairs for which it is indeterminate whether Creation of fuzzy instance statements
they stand in the relation.
Fuzzy Formalization
A Fuzzy Relation Statement comprises two related Selection of a formal fuzzy ontology language.
concept instances accompanied by a fuzzy degree. The
fuzzy degree practically approximates the extent at which Representation of each fuzzy component according
the statement falls within the relation’s application to the language syntax.
boundaries.