Rabbit to OWL: Ontology Authoring with a CNL-Based Tool

There is a recent trend of using controlled natural language (CNL) interfaces to provide more intuitive ways for entering abstract knowledge constructs [3]. This can reduce the complexity of knowledge formulation, which can lead to wider user involvement in ontology authoring and improved efficiency of the knowledge engineering process. However, CNL-based tools for ontology engineering focus solely on providing a CNL interface, while ignoring the whole ontology construction process, and still require good knowledge engineering skills. We have developed a novel approach where a CNL-based tool has been designed to support the involvement of domain experts without knowledge engineering background in the overall ontology authoring process. This work has been inspired by the ontology authoring experience at Ordnance Survey, the mapping agency of Great Britain. The Ordnance Survey is developing a modular topographic domain ontology to facilitate the description and reuse of its topographic data by third parties [7]. At the heart of ontology development is the active involvement of domain experts (e.g. geographers and ecologists), which is reflected in the Ordnance Survey’s methodology for ontology construction [7], comprising of several steps: • Identifying the scope, purpose and other requirements of the ontology; • Gathering source knowledge and documents and identifying ontologies for reuse; • Capturing the ontology content in a knowledge glossary; • Formally defining core concepts and relationships between concepts by using structured English sentences; • Converting the structured English sentences into OWL1;