Onto design graphics (ODG): A graphical notation to standardize ontology design

Abstract

Ontology design is a complex task that requires the use of some graphical tools to assist the ontology developer. Although there have been great advances in ontology engineering research, a standard graphical notation has not been adopted yet. In this paper we propose a graphical notation for ontology design aiming at facilitating to share and reuse ontology designs between ontology users. Some authors propose the mapping of ontology elements with Unified Modeling Language (UML) components. However, a direct association between UML elements and ontology design issues does not exist. OntoDesign Graphics is an easy to learn graphical notation that it is used for displaying visually the elements of the ontology design, facilitating the design and integration of other designs clearly and efficiently.