The role of ontologies in data integration

Abstract

In this paper, we discuss the use of ontologies for data integration. We consider two different settings depending on the system architecture: central and peer-to-peer data integration. Within those settings, we discuss five different cases studies that illustrate the use of ontologies in metadata representation, in global conceptualization, in high-level querying, in declarative mediation, and in mapping support. Each case study is described in detail and accompanied by examples. © 2005 CRL Publishing Ltd.