| Introduction | | | | for this illustrates creation of an online aircraft wing |
| Visualization is necessary to provide traceability for | | | | ontology. Wing component sub/ontologies created |
| decision making, as an audit trail for information, to | | | | using Protégé can be translated for |
| justify a decision and/or cost, or to understand a | | | | the Bitriple application to be represented as RDF/XML. |
| process, or a product data structure. It is necessary | | | | An application could be built as an extension to Bitriple |
| to navigate a database in order to validate it, the | | | | to perform calculations and modeling using the |
| structure of the visual interface needs to show the | | | | information stored. This could assist in allowing domain |
| structure of the data, and the model. The best way | | | | expert end-user programmers/modelers to create |
| to do this is to relate them all so that any change to | | | | models. Such web applications provide an alternative |
| the database, changes the structure of the model | | | | to spreadsheets, and to single computer based |
| and this changes the structure of the visualization, or | | | | programs; and if installed on a network server, such |
| vice versa . Semantic search allows someone to see | | | | applications can provide a collaborative model |
| results or individual items but enables going straight to | | | | development environment. This would fit in well with |
| this, that doesn't show the context and the model is | | | | both Semantic Web, and Web 2.0 approaches to |
| still a 'black box', unless the Semantic search actually | | | | knowledge creation, allowing structured |
| returns the relevant portion of the structure so that | | | | representation and navigation of information, and |
| the context of the returned information is displayed. | | | | end-user interaction, collaboration, customisation and |
| Methodology | | | | programming via the web. Collaboration can aid |
| This approach was tested to illustrate how it is | | | | people to agree on terminology, and standardisation |
| possible to enable refining a search by visualizing all | | | | of calculations used such as for cost rates and |
| the items present in sub-categories of the main | | | | currencies. RDF information can be searched with |
| category found in the search. McGuinness (2003) | | | | SPARQL (SPARQL Protocol And RDF Query |
| explains how ontologies support this functionality and | | | | Language), which is used to search the Bitriple |
| calls this 'generalization/specialization' of information. | | | | application. |
| Uschold and Gruninger (2004) describe | | | | Conclusion |
| 'ontology-based search' as "Ontology used for | | | | If domain experts are not involved in creation of the |
| concept-based structuring of information in a | | | | model, there is no proper way for the knowledge |
| repository"; and describe the benefit of this as | | | | they are encoding to emerge, or for proper |
| "better information access" This aids the research | | | | collaboration so each expert is best encapsulating the |
| objectives of ease of use and sharing of information. | | | | part of the model that they are most expert in. |
| The use of open standards for representing | | | | People need to be involved in model creation if they |
| information makes it possible to enable searches that | | | | are to understand the model, decision, and how the |
| understand the semantics of the information and so | | | | decision was made. So there is a need for end-user |
| can track all of the relationships between items. An | | | | modelling/programming to enable this. Full automation |
| example was created to illustrate the interface for | | | | hinders user involvement and traceability, so |
| making a search. In this example the user could | | | | semi-automated systems that interact with end-users |
| retrieve all the information related to a spar (aircraft | | | | and assist with all stages of the model decision are |
| wing component). | | | | better. If a person goes straight to the answer how |
| The result is then shown as a series of trees for | | | | can it be expected that they fully understood the |
| each item that contains the word spar. Each | | | | question? |
| keyword match is the root of a tree. Each tree | | | | Breaking complex mathematics into modularised |
| shows the item found and all its children and | | | | traceable steps eases management of it, and |
| attributes. For each tree returned branches show sub | | | | visualization, and allows modeling of different |
| items from the tree. | | | | scenarios, and these scenarios demonstrate the |
| The information is held in linked and related | | | | emergent properties of the model, enabling decision |
| taxonomies/sub ontologies so it is not HTML that is | | | | support. BiDirectional Traceability is needed, |
| being searched but the taxonomy itself. Because the | | | | traceability between nodes/submodels, and between |
| information is held in a structured way, it is much | | | | models, and between suppliers and buyers. |
| more likely that searchers will find what they are | | | | Existing ontologies can be extended for modelling of |
| looking for, because the search can follow the | | | | software systems and engineering systems e.g. PSL, |
| relationships represented in the taxonomy. One of | | | | STEPML, UML, SysML can be extended. |
| the key objectives of Semantic Web research and | | | | This research can enable collaborative modelling and |
| Web 2.0 is to make this kind of search possible over | | | | interaction, via applying end-user programming |
| the web as a whole. The Semantic Web is a | | | | techniques to enable domain experts such as |
| longer-term vision for managing information over the | | | | engineers and business people to create and interact |
| web and Web 2.0 is the shorter-term practical | | | | with the knowledge representation themselves, and |
| implementation of techniques, which can ease current | | | | co-operate to ensure the representations are useful |
| information search and management problems. A | | | | for addressing their problems, with less software |
| web interface has been developed for | | | | creation barriers. Software developers need to enable |
| Protégé (WebProtege). | | | | such systems to make this all possible. |
| An example of the use of this was created where a | | | | References |
| search is made for information on the cure cycle for | | | | Leaver, N. (2008) Using RDF as an Enabling |
| composites manufacturing. This search is possible as | | | | Technology. MSc. Dissertation, University of the West |
| WebProtege has succeeded in providing a web based | | | | of England, Bristol. |
| interface for displaying and searching ontologies, so | | | | McGuinness, D. L., 2003. Ontologies Come of Age. In: |
| providing an additional way to enable web access to | | | | Dieter Fensel, Jim Hendler, Henry Lieberman, and |
| the test ontologies created for this research. | | | | Wolfgang Wahlster, ed. Spinning the Semantic Web: |
| The next stage of this problem is to enable | | | | Bringing the World Wide Web to Its Full Potential. |
| interaction and modeling with the returned | | | | MIT Press, 2003. |
| information. A project was created called Bitriple by | | | | Uschold, M., Gruninger, M., 2004. Ontologies and |
| Leaver (2008), to enable end-user functionality for | | | | Semantics for Seamless Connectivity. In: Association |
| this kind of web-based ontology construction and | | | | for Computer Machinery - Special Interest Group on |
| search. The application provides a facility to edit an | | | | Management of Data - SIGMOD Record December, |
| ontology/ies and instances, and provides tree-based | | | | 33(4). |
| visualization of the ontology. The example created | | | | |