ADDING SUPPORT FOR DYNAMIC ONTOLOGIES TO EXISTING KNOWLEDGE BASES

An ontology version needs be created when changes are to be made in an ontology while keeping the basic structure of the ontology more or less intact. It has been shown that an Ontology Perspective theory can be applied on a set of ontology versions. In this paper, we present a Virtual Perspective Interface (VPI) based on this theory that ensures that old data is still accessible through ontology modifications and can be accessed using new ontologies, in addition to the older ontologies which may still be in use by legacy applications. We begin by presenting the problems that are to be dealt with when such an infrastructure needs be created. Then we present possible solutions that may be used to tackle such problems. Finally, we provide an analysis of these solutions to support the one that we have implemented.