The Representation of Concepts in OWL

Abstract

This paper discusses the theoretical basis of the formalist used as a foundation for OWL, a system for representing and processing knowledge. This foraallsa attempts to capture the expressive power of natural language by adopting the underlying representational conventions and conceptual models of English. The foraallsa Is built around specialization, which is perceived to be the key organizing principle of English at a deep level. The use of specialization In combination with another low-level structural device, reference, leads to a slaple but powerful structure, the concept, which is ideal both for the representation of a broad spectrum of knowledge and for computation on existing machines equipped with large, high-speed, random-access areas.