Ontology-based automatic data structure generation for collaborative networks

Abstract

Different forms of web-based collaborations are continuously configured and growing. Such emerging collaborative networks (CNs) are exemplified by Virtual Organizations, Virtual Communities, and Virtual Laboratories. Design and development of these environments constitute long, incremental, and complex processes. One challenge in this process is the proper definition of required syntax for entities and concepts, to be shared over the networked environment. A current tendency to describe the information/knowledge models for CNs is to use ontology systems. This paper presents an innovative tool called DOSG that assists the developers of CN environments, by taking the ontological definitions of concepts and entities, and automatically generating data structures such as: the relational database schema, Java code, and XML Schema. The DOSG prototype is developed within the TeleCARE project. The main goal of the TeleCARE project is the development of a CN infrastructure, providing tele-assistance for elderly care. DOSG represents one component of the federated information management component of TeleCARE infrastructure. © 2004 Springer Science + Business Media, Inc.