Only ontologies that are constructed as computational entities can be
shared effectively. The informational content of a computational
ontology is much more important in solving practical problems than the
form in which it is represented. We do not place much emphasis on the
representational formalism used in an ontological database. We are
open to converting the
K ontology into another format if
there is a standard that emerges. Until such time, we must live with different
choices of primitives, conceptual relations and configurations,
and their representation.
Given the diversity in ontological designs, a good way to share them
as computational resources may be to share a common set of tools which
provide a substrate upon which various translators can be built for
converting an ontology from one representation to another so that they
can be shared between modules and subgroups of a project, with other
projects, and with the community at large. We already have such a
system in operation within the
K project where the ontology
is routinely translated between two different representational forms
and is shared among the large group of people working for the project.
We also have the beginnings of other translators such as one that
converts TMRs to a standard template of the TIPSTER information retrieval
initiative.
Kavi Mahesh