Revisiting ontologies: A necessary clarification

Abstract

Looking for ontology in a search engine, one can find so many different approaches that it can be difficult to understand which field of research the subject belongs to and how it can be useful. The term ontology is employed within philosophy, computer science, and information science with different meanings. To take advantage of what ontology theories have to offer, one should understand what they address and where they come from. In information science, except for a few papers, there is no initiative toward clarifying what ontology really is and the connections that it fosters among different research fields. This article provides such a clarification. We begin by revisiting the meaning of the term in its original field, philosophy, to reach its current use in other research fields. We advocate that ontology is a genuine and relevant subject of research in information science. Finally, we conclude by offering our view of the opportunities for interdisciplinary research.

Electronic Systems Interoperability Study: Based on the Interchange of Hospital Obstetrical Information

“…Semantic interoperability solutions between systems should adopt standards able to ensure data interpretation, ontology resources, terminology, and terms definition [4]. The model proposed herein is expected to subsidize the information semantic persistence, contributing to the healthcare quality, for the maternal and childcare public network, with positive repercussions over the life of the woman and the individual, becoming his or her first electronic health record.…”

“…To effectively support health care, an ISs need to be developed aiming to favor communication and transmission of clinical information between different systems [2][3][4].…”

New grounds for ontic trust: Information objects and LIS

“…In other words, Floridi has repeatedly invited LIS to occupy a key position within PI: the stewardship of all "content" pertaining to the generalized definition of information described above, which includes all semantic content consisting of one or more data that are well-formed and meaningful, such as the works of Confucius and Kant, for example. Nevertheless, few in LIS have expressed any interest in response to this invitation extended by Floridi, though the empirical [37], ethical [38], and ontological [39] issues relevant to PI are essential to LIS as well.…”

OntoSINAES: An Ontology Network for the National Evaluation System of Higher Education in Brazil

“…O interesse em tornar os dados produzidos no âmbito do SINAES, mais acessíveis e reutilizáveis é algo muito desejado por investigadores de diferentes áreas do conhecimento [Alcantara et al, 2015;Dias Sobrinho, 2010;Firmino, 2013] Nos últimos anos, muitos conceitos de ontologias foram apresentados e defendidos por diferentes autores [Gruber, 1993;Guarino, 1995;Guarino e Giaretta, 1995;Noy e McGuinness, 2001;Guizzardi, 2005;Almeida, 2013]. Na maioria dos casos as divergências conceituais são consequências do contexto específico em que a definição foi formulada.…”