An ontology-based temporal scheduling and complexity reduction model for timetabling knowledge management

Abstract

Technological tools such as Semantic Web and ontologies have contributed immensely to the reduction of most managerial complexities on daily basis. However, most resolved complexities are solely dependent on the emerging issues which are not general enough to accommodate some specific domain challenges. Temporal scheduling complexities occur in several domains including timetabling, but inter-departmental courses allocation on a general institutional timetable has not been considered. This poses serious managerial concerns and threats to the academic performance of any institution. This paper is aimed at formalizing an ontology model for analyzing temporal scheduling complexities in an existing schedule and giving optimal possible time scheduling resolutions showing their reduction rates for efficient and intelligent knowledge management. Protégé was used in modeling the domain ontology described in the resulted ontograf. The semantics of the formal ontology model is described based on Allen's interval temporal relations. The use of ontologies make way for easy and intelligent reasoning with knowledge and exposes the need for such knowledge management tool to manage the influx of the numerous data.