ontology-define

name	ontology-define
description	Design formal ontologies using OWL/RDFS. Defines classes, properties, and relationships for complex semantic modeling.
required_roles	{"scribe":"roles/scribe.editor"}
personas	["ontologist","knowledge-engineer","information-architect"]

Define Ontology Skill

Create a formal ontology definition to model complex domains. This skill goes beyond simple taxonomies by defining classes, object properties, datatype properties, and logical restrictions using standards like OWL (Web Ontology Language) and RDFS (Resource Description Framework Schema).

Inputs

• DOMAIN_DESCRIPTION - Description of the domain to model (e.g., "University System" or path to documentation).
• FORMAT - (Optional) Output format: "turtle", "rdfxml", "json-ld", "manchester" (default: "turtle").
• BASE_URI - (Optional) Base URI for the ontology (e.g., "http://example.org/ontology/").
• STRICTNESS - (Optional) Level of logical rigor: "rdfs", "owl-lite", "owl-dl" (default: "owl-lite").

Workflow

Step 1: Conceptual Modeling

Analyze the DOMAIN_DESCRIPTION to identify key entities and relationships.

• Classes: Sets of individuals (e.g., Professor, Course, Student).
• Properties: Relationships between individuals or values.

Step 2: Property Definition

Define properties with domain and range constraints.

• Object Properties: Relate two instances (e.g., teaches relates Professor to Course).
• Datatype Properties: Relate instances to literals (e.g., hasCredits relates Course to Integer).
• Characteristics: Transitive, Symmetric, Inverse, Functional.

Step 3: Hierarchy & Restrictions

Organize classes and properties into hierarchies (subClassOf, subPropertyOf).

• Apply restrictions if supported by STRICTNESS (e.g., "A Course must be taught by at least one Professor").

Step 4: Serialization

Generate the ontology file in the requested FORMAT.

• Define prefixes (rdf, rdfs, owl, xsd).
• Declare the ontology header.
• Serialize all triples.

Required Outputs

An ONTOLOGY_FILE content in the specified FORMAT.

Example (Turtle):

@prefix : <http://example.org/uni/> .
@prefix owl: <http://www.w3.org/2002/07/owl#> .
@prefix rdfs: <http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#> .

:UniversityOntology a owl:Ontology .

:Person a owl:Class .

:Student a owl:Class ;
    rdfs:subClassOf :Person .

:enrolledIn a owl:ObjectProperty ;
    rdfs:domain :Student ;
    rdfs:range :Course .

Quick Reference

• Purpose: Enable reasoning and interoperability in Knowledge Graphs.
• Standards: W3C OWL 2, RDFS.
• Tools: Protégé, RDFLib.