Modelling Models of Robot Navigation Using Formal Spatial Ontology

In this paper we apply a formal ontological framework in order to deconstruct two prominent approaches to navigation from cognitive robotics, the Spatial Semantic Hierarchy of Kuipers and the Route Graph of Krieg-Brückner, Werner and others. The ontological framework is based on our current work on ontology specification, where we are investigating Masolo et al.’s Descriptive Ontology for Linguistic and Cognitive Engineering (DOLCE) extended particularly for space and navigation by incorporating aspects of Smith et al.’s Basic Formal Ontology (BFO). Our conclusion is that ontology should necessarily play an important role in the design and modelling of cognitive robotic systems: comparability between approaches is improved, modelling gaps and weaknesses are highlighted, re-use of existing formalisations is facilitated, and extensions for interaction with other components, such as natural language systems, are directly supported.