OntoClean

OntoClean is a methodology for analyzing ontologies based on formal, domain-independent properties of classes (the metaproperties) developed by Nicola Guarino and Chris Welty.OntoClean was the first attempt to formalize notions of ontological analysis for information systems. The idea was to justify the kinds of decisions that experienced ontology builders make, and explain the common mistakes of the inexperienced. Alan Rector, during a debate at the KR-2002 conference in Toulouse, said, 'What you have done is reduce the amount of time I spend arguing with medics.'In logic, a property is a unary predicate in intention, in other words a property is what it means to be a member of a class. For example, we say that instances of the Person class have the property of 'being a person.' In the semantic web, a property is a binary relation.The basis of OntoClean are the domain-independent properties of classes, the OntoClean metaproperties: identity, unity, rigidity, and dependence. Recent work by Welty & BillAndersen has added two more metaproperties: permanence and actuality.