A comparison of two ontologies for agent-based modelling of energy systems

Abstract

Conceptualisations formalised in ontologies are useful to pro- vide an interface between people (e.g. betweenmodellers and stakeholders), people and computers (e.g. data entry), and to ensure interoperability between software elements (e.g. communication between agents). As such, ontologies are useful for modelling purposes: with a formal definition of concepts, no misunderstanding about the intended mean- ing is possible. In this paper two ontologies designed inde- pendently for modelling applications in energy systems are discussed. The first ontology is designed for socio-technical infrastructure systems and it has been applied in a wide range of domains, while the second was developed with a focus on urban energy systems in particular. The different motivations for the development of these ontologies are ad- dressed, one comparable key class is examined and lessons learned from these developments are presented.