Ontology
Definition
Ontology is A formal, explicit specification of a shared conceptualization
Source: R. Studer, V. R. Benjamins, and D. Fensel. Knowledge engineering: Principles and methods. Data and Knowledge Engineering (DKE), (25):161–197, 1998.
Summary
An ontology describes knowledge of a specific domain through concepts in their relation to other concepts. In other words, an ontology is a management system of knowledge.
Description
Ontologies can be used for the purpose of enabling knowledge sharing and reuse. In that context, an ontology is a specification used for making ontological commitments. An ontology can be represented in many ways in cluding an Map or Ontological model or simply as a set of definitions of formal vocabulary. An ontological commitment is an agreement to use a vocabulary (i.e., ask queries and make assertions) in a way that is consistent (but not complete) with respect to the theory specified by an ontology. [1]
References
[1] T. R. Gruber. A translation approach to portable ontologies. Knowledge Acquisition, 5(2):199-220, 1993. Available on line.
