Enhanced methodology for ontology development

Abstract

The creation of an initial glossary of terms is a preliminary phase of domain ontology building. Existing methodologies assume that such a glossary has been created by analysing existing documents or using expert knowledge. Some methods have been defined for this step of ontology building; these methods are mostly based on the analysis of existing documents. We propose to utilise the existing pieces of knowledge obtained in the area of object-oriented analysis; the description of a domain structure, behaviour and rules. Domain structure, behaviour and rules all together represent a complex and systematic view of the domain that makes it possible to create a high-quality glossary. This method is demonstrated using the domain of a road traffic system. Our method has been developed as an extension of the well-known METHONTOLOGY method. Our extension is general enough to be relevant for other ontology-building methodologies.