A situated ontology such as the
K ontology is best developed
incrementally, relying on continuous interactions with other knowledge
sources. In practice, this translates into the concurrent development
of both the ontology and the lexicon through a continual negotiation.
This negotiation to meet the constraints on both a lexical entry and a
concept in the ontology leads to the best choice in most cases. It
also ensures that every entry in each knowledge base is consistent,
compatible with its counterparts, and has a purpose towards the
ultimate objective of producing quality TMRs. Though there is no
algorithm for acquiring concepts, sets of guidelines have been
developed in the Mikrokosmos project for deciding (a) what concepts to
acquire, (b) where to place a concept in the hierarchies, and (c) what to
name a concept (Mahesh, 1995; Mahesh and Wilson, in preparation).
A few guidelines for deciding what concepts to add to the ontology are
shown in Figure
.
Figure:
Guidelines for deciding what concepts to add.
Kavi Mahesh