Ontology-based knowledge representation and semantic search information retrieval: case study of the underutilized crops domain

Lawan, Abba (2018) Ontology-based knowledge representation and semantic search information retrieval: case study of the underutilized crops domain. PhD thesis, University of Nottingham.

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Abstract

The aim of using semantic technologies in domain knowledge modeling is to introduce the semantic meaning of concepts in knowledge bases, such that they are both human-readable as well as machine-understandable. Due to their powerful knowledge representation formalism and associated inference mechanisms, ontology-based approaches have been increasingly adopted to formally represent domain knowledge. The primary objective of this thesis work has been to use semantic technologies in advancing knowledge-sharing of Underutilized crops as a domain and investigate the integration of underlying ontologies developed in OWL (Web Ontology Language) with augmented SWRL (Semantic Web Rule Language) rules for added expressiveness.

The work further investigated generating ontologies from existing data sources and proposed the reverse-engineering approach of generating domain specific conceptualization through competency questions posed from possible ontology users and domain experts. For utilization, a semantic search engine (the Onto-CropBase) has been developed to serve as a Web-based access point for the Underutilized crops ontology model. Relevant linked-data in Resource Description Framework Schema (RDFS) were added for comprehensiveness in generating federated queries.

While the OWL/SWRL combination offers a highly expressive ontology language for modeling knowledge domains, the combination is found to be lacking supplementary descriptive constructs to model complex real-life scenarios, a necessary requirement for a successful Semantic Web application. To this end, the common logic programming formalisms for extending Description Logic (DL)-based ontologies were explored and the state of the art in SWRL expressiveness extensions determined with a view to extending the SWRL formalism. Subsequently, a novel fuzzy temporal extension to the Semantic Web Rule Language (FT-SWRL), which combines SWRL with fuzzy logic theories based on the valid-time temporal model, has been proposed to allow modeling imprecise temporal expressions in domain ontologies.

Item Type: Thesis (University of Nottingham only) (PhD)
Supervisors: Rakib, Abdur
Alechina, Natasha
Karunaratne, Asha
Keywords: ontology, semantic technologies, semantic web rule language (SWRL), fuzzy temporal SWRL, underutilized Crops, Onto-CropBase
Subjects: T Technology > TK Electrical engineering. Electronics Nuclear engineering > TK5101 Telecommunication
Faculties/Schools: University of Nottingham, Malaysia > Faculty of Science and Engineering — Science > School of Computer Science
Item ID: 48063
Depositing User: LAWAN, ABBA
Date Deposited: 06 Apr 2020 07:54
Last Modified: 06 May 2020 08:30
URI: https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/id/eprint/48063

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