Chowlk: from UML-Based Ontology Conceptualizations to OWL

Abstract

Ontology conceptualization is an ontology development task that consists in generating a preliminary model based on the requirements that the ontology should represent. This activity is often carried out by generating the models as diagrams in a blackboard, paper or digital tools. The generated models drive the ontology implementation activity, where the model is formalized and completed using an implementation language. Normally, the ontology conceptualization output serves as guidance for the ontology implementation; however, ontology implementation is usually done from scratch using ontology editors. The goal of this work is to consider ontology conceptualizations as first-order artifacts in ontology development in order to boost the ontology implementation activity. For doing so we present Chowlk, a framework to transform digital machine-processable ontology conceptualization diagrams into OWL. Domain experts and ontologists benefit from this approach in several ways: 1) reduce time generating the first versions of the OWL file that can be invested on 2) focusing on the conceptualization diagrams that can be used both for 3) improving communication between ontology users and developers and 4) be reused during the ontology documentation stage.