|
Tool |
Version |
Release Date |
Source |
Modeling Features/Limitations |
Base Language |
Web Support & {Use} |
Import/Export Formats |
Graph View |
Consistency Checks |
Multi-user Support |
Merging |
Lexical Support |
Information Extraction |
Comments |
More Information |
Contact |
|
The software tool for editing ontologies |
Identifier of latest software release |
The date latest version became available |
The organization producing or supplying the software tool |
The representational and logical qualities that can be expressed in the built ontology |
The native or primary language used to encode the ontology |
Support for Web-compliant ontologies (e.g., URIs), and {use of the software over the Web (e.g., browser client)} |
Other languages the built ontology can be serialized in |
The extent to which the built ontology can be created, debugged, edited and/or compared directly in graphic form |
The degree to which the syntactic, referential and/or logical correctness of the ontology can be verified automatically |
Features that allow and facilitate concurrent development of the built ontology |
Support for easily comparing and merging independent built ontologies |
Capabilities for lexical referencing of ontology elements (e.g., synonyms) and processing lexical content (e.g., searching/filtering ontology terms) |
Capabilities for ontology-directed capture of target information from content and possibly subsequent elaboration of the ontology |
Pertinent information about methodology, availability and support, additional features, etc. |
Product or project Web site |
E-mail contact for additional information |
|
Apollo |
1.0 beta 5 |
9/20/02 |
Knowledge Media Institute of Open University (UK ) |
Classes with slots plus relations; functions; hierarchical views. |
OKBC model |
No, but {server is planned}. |
CLOS; OCML |
No, but planned. |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
None |
||
|
CIRCA Taxonomy Administrator |
1.1 |
3/1/02 |
Applied Semantics, Inc. |
Maps designed taxonomies to built-in general lexical ontology using weighted concept clusters ("gist"). No definable relations. |
Proprietary |
No |
(RDFS planned) |
Browsing of ontology (not for editing). |
Yes, limited. |
No |
Yes, via common mapping. |
Yes |
Via other CIRCA tools. |
Part of CIRCA Auto-Categorizer. A future (4Q'02) product may support relations and RDF import/export. |
http://www.appliedsemantics.com/as_solutions_autocat_taxadmin.shtml |
|
|
CoGITaNT |
5.1.0 |
9/14/02 |
LIRMM CNRS (France) |
Conceptual graph (CG) modeling with rules; nested typed graphs; projections. |
CG model |
{Web based client access} |
BCGCT; CGXML; XML |
Browsing of ontology. |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Open Source server, client and underlying C++ library; also Java API. |
||
|
Coherence |
2.0.1; 2.1 |
1/1/02 ; 4Q'02 |
Unicorn Solutions |
Roundtrip transformation of ontologies from XML Schema and RDB schemas. Class and property hierarchies; business rules. |
XML |
{Internet client for sharing ontologies} |
XML Schema; RDB schema; XML; RDF(S); DAML+OIL (in 2.1 release) |
No, but planned. |
Schema synchronization and dependency (referential integrity) to show impact of changes. |
(Yes, in 2.1 release) |
(Planned) |
Explicit mapping between lexicons is possible. |
No, except as explicit mappings from RDB. |
Ontology functions are part of an enterprise data integration product. Additional input/output: entity-relation diagrams, COBOL Copybooks, HTML. |
||
|
Contextia |
2.1 |
8/1/02 |
Modulant |
Basic concepts and relations with datatypes are represented in schemas. |
Express |
Referenced ontologies (URLs); URIs |
Entity relation diagrams; XML Schema |
For editing single ontology (using FirstStep XG). |
Express model (ISO 10303) validation; cross-ontology consistencies |
No |
Schema mapping including aggregation/generalization; "context" mapping. |
Synonym mappings; term matching |
No, except as explicit mappings from structured and semi-structured sources. |
Ontology functions are part of an enterprise data integration product. Ontology editing supported by FirstStep XG included with Contextia. |
||
|
COPORUM OntoBuilder |
1.5 |
8/1/02 |
CognIT AS |
Basic concepts and relations are represented with single inheritance. Representation of concepts and relations extracted from content may be extended with WordNet information. |
RDFS |
{Web based repository; Web services in development} |
DAML+OIL; RDF(S) |
Browsing of ontology. |
RDF consistency via repository. |
(Under development) |
Flat merging via Sesame. |
Yes, based on WordNet and RDF Query Language; also in Sesame |
Yes, based on meaning and distribution. |
Tool embedded in On-To-Knowledge project tool set and requires Sesame RDF repository. Focus on generating editable ontologies automatically from natural language documents. |
||
|
DAG-Edit |
1.3.1.2 |
3/20/02 |
Berkeley Drosophila Genome Project (BDGP) |
Mixed part-of and isa concept hierarchies are represented along with synonym and search facilities. No properties. |
Directed (cyclic or acyclic) graph notation |
{Read input via URLs} |
Gene Ontology: RDF; Gene Ontology Postgres Database Schema (experimental); (DAML+OIL in GOET) |
No, but tree view of flattened graph. |
No |
No |
Yes, especially at the term level; also change history tracking. |
Yes, for synonyms. |
No, but allows regular expression search. |
While intended for gene expression ontologies, it can be used for any taxonomy. Generic version - GOET - is under development (alpha). |
||
|
DAMLImp (API) |
0.7.0 |
7/15/02 |
AT&T Government Solutions |
DAML+OIL constructs. Basic Java library for analysis and manipulation of DAML+OIL ontologies. |
DAML+OIL |
URIs |
DAML+OIL; RDF |
No |
No |
Possible |
No, but Ontology Manager aids mapping. |
No |
No |
DARPA DAML project |
||
|
Differential Ontology Editor (DOE) |
1.1 |
9/1/02 |
National Audiovisual Institute - INA (France ) |
Creates lattice of concepts and lattice of relationships between concepts, plus a set of instances. Concepts cannot be defined intentionally with constraints. Only types of the domains of relationships can be specified. No axiom editor is provided. |
XML & CGXML |
Load ontology by URL |
DAML+OIL; RDFS |
No, but tree view. |
Arity and type inheritance on relation domains; detects cycles in hierarchies. |
No |
No |
Term definitions, synonyms and preference; methodology for differential definitions. |
No |
Supports methodology of Bruno Bachimont; to be used with other editors. |
||
|
Disciple Learning Agent Shell |
2.6 |
4/1/02 |
George Mason University , Learning Agents Laboratory |
Semantic network representation with functions, extended to allow partially learned entities. A hierarchy of objects and a hierarchy of features, with their descriptions, are represented as frames. Also, general problem solving rules can be expressed with terms from the ontology. |
OKBC-like |
{Ontology summaries output in HTML} |
Import: CYC ontologies |
Browse classes, properties and individuals. |
Syntactic consistency is always maintained; can commit multiple changes to persistent ontology in single operation. |
No |
Yes, two ontologies. |
Search for terms |
No |
The shell is used by subject matter experts to rapidly form knowledge and reason about a specific domain. Users, via a set of task reduction rules, create Disciple-RKF agents that can be combined into a single knowledge base. |
||
|
Domain Ontology Management Environment (DOME) |
2.0 |
8/1/02 |
Btexact Technologies |
Concepts, relations and constraints are mapped to ER-like specifications. |
CLASSIC & FaCT |
{Web access} |
OKBC; XML |
ER diagrams |
Yes |
Yes |
(Under development) |
(Under development) |
Semi-automatic and rule-based extraction from RDBs and web pages. |
Available externally by individual agreements with limited support. |
||
|
DUET |
0.3.0 |
7/17/02 |
AT&T Government Solutions |
Represents only UML static constructs available on class diagrams. |
UML |
URLs and namespaces are preserved in UML package naming |
DAML |
Editing using UML class diagrams (via Rose or Argo products) |
Valid UML diagrams will produce valid DAML+OIL and conversely. |
Supports multi-user capabilities of Rational Rose. |
Multiple ontologies may be imported for comparison and merging. |
No |
No |
DARPA DAML project. Additional output: HTML views of UML models. Also under development for GentileWare Poseidon UML. |
||
|
Enterprise Semantic Platform (ESP) including Knowledge Toolkit |
3.0 |
11/30/02 (expected) |
Semagix, Inc |
Description models composed of hierarchical categories and attributes with named relationships. Type system for heterogeneous media content. Instances supported by simple constraints on entities (cardinality, range) and entity properties, as well as inferencing. Automatic assertion and maintenance of instances is possible. |
Graph & XML |
URIs; {partial HTML client; HTTP API} |
XML; (RDF(S) is planned) |
Connected tree browsing via TouchGraph |
Yes, includes automatic and user interactive checks; dynamic content management. |
Limited, user privileges prevent concurrent update of the same ontology parts. |
No |
Synonym based term normalization. |
Automatic ontology directed classification and semantic annotation of heterogeneous content. |
ESP is an application platform for semantic integration of heterogeneous content including media and enterprise databases. It includes the Knowledge Toolkit for building ontologies. |
||
|
EOR |
1.01 |
7/10/01 |
Dublin Core Metadata Initiative |
RDF models as sets of triples. Can be used to build, insert (infuse) and query instance knowledge bases for DAML+OIL, RDFS, etc. ontologies. |
RDF |
URIs |
RDF |
No |
Validate RDF |
No |
Yes, by adding sets of RDF statements. |
No |
No |
Developed by OCLC. |
||
|
ExClaim & CommonKADS Workbench |
release |
12/1/01 |
National Institute for Research and Development in Informatics (Romania ) |
Description logic modeling plus primitive problem solving actions. |
DL model |
No |
CML |
Browsing of ontology. |
Knowledge verification and model validation (for DL representation). |
User roles |
No |
No |
No |
Uses the CommonKADS Workbench based on SWI-Prolog and the XPCE GUI. |
http://www.ici.ro/ici/expoeng/prodici/prod_12_22/pag_excl0.htm |
|
|
GALEN Case Environment (GCE) |
5 |
8/1/02 |
Kermanog |
Description logic terminological modeling without support for individuals. Composite concepts are automatically classified according to their criteria (relationships with other concepts). New concepts can be created interactively and according to user-defined rules. |
GRAIL |
No |
GRAIL |
No, but filtered tree views allow editing. |
Explicit grammatical and sensible sanctions are enforced when combining terms. |
No |
Compiles differences in concepts, hierarchies and criteria (properties) between two ontologies. |
GALEN concept identifiers can be associated with synonyms and word forms. |
No |
Although, developed primarily as a medical terminology model builder, the tool can serve as a general purpose ontology editor. GCE is part of the Classification Workbench with support to manage domain classification schemes. |
||
|
ICOM |
1.1 |
4/25/01 |
Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy |
EER (extended entity relations) modeling plus inheritance hierarchies, multidimensional aggregations and multiple schema relations. |
Description logic |
No |
XML; UML (future) |
Native editing of ER diagrams (UML diagrams planned). |
Verify the specification via DL classifier (FaCT). |
No |
Supports inter-ontology mappings with graphical interface. |
No |
No |
Graphically editing of native UML class diagrams planned for next release. |
||
|
Integrated Ontology Development Environment |
1.6.1 |
7/1/02 |
Ontology Works, Inc. |
Distinguishes between properties and relations; allows contexts; default reasoning; temporal model relations; higher-arity relations; meta-properties and meta-relations. |
OWL (based on KIF; not related to W3C WebOnt language of same name.) |
{Web client - control panel} |
KIF; UML; RDB; XML DTD |
UML diagrams |
Top-level ontology consistency per Guarino & Welty. |
Yes |
(slated for version 1.8 in Q2 2003) |
Synonyms; English-language names |
No |
Supports OntoClean methodology (Guarino & Welty); supports relational and other databases |
||
|
IsaViz |
1.1 |
5/23/02 |
W3 Consortium |
Supports RDFS level specifications. Can specify any model based on RDF such as DAML+OIL. |
RDF model |
URI namespaces |
RDF; N-Triple; SVG |
Native creation and editing of resources, literals and properties. |
RDF model correctness. |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
None |
||
|
JOE |
Demo |
7/21/99 |
University of South Carolina Center for IT |
Basic concept and relations modeling ala ER. |
KIF |
No |
ER (LDL++) |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No current development. Available as an applet. |
||
|
KAON (including OIModeller) |
1.2 |
9/25/02 |
FZI Research Center & AIFB Institute, University of Karlsruhe |
Extends RDFS with symmetric, transitive and inverse relations, relation cardinality, meta-modeling, etc. Similar to F-Logic using axiom patterns. Editor currently only supports concept hierarchy. |
KAON (proprietary extension of RDFS) |
{Browsing ontologies via KAON Portal; Web services API under development} |
RDFS |
No |
Yes, for evolution of ontology. |
Concurrent access control with transaction oriented locking and rollback. |
(Under development) |
Explicit lexical representation in model. Synonyms; stemming; multilingual. |
(Under development) |
OIModeller is part of KAON tool suite for business applications that uses RDB persistence layer for scalability. The ontology editor is under development. |
||
|
KBE -- Knowledge Base Editor (for Zeus AgentBuilding Toolkit) |
1.3 |
3/22/00 |
Institute for Software Integrated Systems, Vanderbilt University |
Zeus ontology model of concepts, attributes and values; multiple inheritance; modularization within a closed world model. (Also defines agent interaction protocols.) |
GME |
No |
Zeus ontology file (.edf) |
UML-like diagrams for browsing only. |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
KBE is layered on top of the Zeus environment for building agents and extends the ontology editor functions. The underlying GBE model specification system could be used as the basis of other ontology builders. |
http://www.isis.vanderbilt.edu/Projects/micants/Tech/Demos/KBE/ |
|
|
LegendBurster Ontology Editor |
1.1.2 |
10/5/02 |
GeoReference Online Ltd |
Semantic network hierarchy of concepts, attributes, attribute values and explicitly represented truth-status flags. Inheritance within hierarchies with lateral links. Full reified relations; inverse relations (partial). Metadata for all entities (at node level). Separate tree list editor. |
Proprietary (uses Prolog) |
No |
No, except across projects (proprietary). |
No, except SVG export of instance and query graphs. |
Partial, with strict attribute context checks but arities currently unchecked. |
No |
Yes, if from LegendBurster. (User must check semantic consistency.) |
Term search and alphabetical sort. |
Semi-automatically capture and import vocabulary present in attribute tables of maps of interest. |
While LedgendBurster is principally a GIS application, the Ontology Editor is suitable for general purpose ontology development. Standalone editor with instance description and fuzzy query expected in early 2003. |
||
|
LinKFactory Workbench |
release |
7/1/02 |
Language & Computing nv |
Description logic T-box (terminological) and A-box (assertional) model. Multiple inheritance over concepts and relationships; identification of necessary and sufficient criteria for concept definition. Manage multiple conflicting ontologies in one T-box. Versioning metadata. |
Extended description logic |
{LinKFactory Server supports Internet clients; WebInfo spider component.} |
XML; RDF(S); DAML+OIL/OWL |
No |
Checks cover role restrictions, formal disjoints, sanctioning over subsumers, etc. |
Yes, with author privileges and auditing specific to concept hierarchies. |
Compares and links ontologies via a core ontology; related concepts matched on formal relationships and lexical information. |
Strict concept/term distinction; lexeme-description; part-of-speech. Search with wildcards. |
Yes, via text analyses and automatic linkage to ontology. WebInfo spider gleans domain-specific concepts/terms on Web. |
LinKFactory Workbench includes a database server, application server and clients. Originally designed for very large medical ontologies. It has a Java beans API and optional Application Generators for semantic indexing, automatic coding, and information extraction. |
||
|
Medius Visual Ontology Modeler |
0.18 beta |
7/1/02 |
Sandpiper Software, Inc |
UML modeling of ontologies with frame systems support. |
UML with extensions for OKBC model |
URI support in DAML generator; {read-only browser support from Rose} |
XML Schema; RDF; DAML+OIL |
Yes, as UML diagrams via Rose. |
Limited |
Yes |
Native Rose model merging support |
Search for terms and relations. |
No |
Operates as a Rational Rose plug-in. |
||
|
NeoClassic |
release |
12/15/00 |
Bell Labs (Lucent Technologies) |
Framework representation of descriptions, concepts, roles, individuals and rules. Concepts can be derived from necessary and sufficient conditions for individual membership. Subsumption and classification are inherent inference. (Command line editor only.) |
DL model |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
No |
This C++ implementation of the original CLASSIC system is the only currently supported version. |
||
|
OilEd |
3.4 |
4/12/02 |
University of Manchester Information Management Group |
DAML constraint axioms; same-class-as; limited XML Schema datatypes; creation metadata; allows arbitrary expressions as fillers and in constraint axioms; explicit use of quantifiers; one-of lists of individuals; no hierarchical property view. |
DAML+OIL |
RDF URIs; limited namespaces; very limited XML Schema |
RDFS; SHIQ |
Browsing Graphviz files of class subsumption only. |
Subsumption and satisfiability (FaCT) |
No |
No |
Limited synonyms |
No |
None |
||
|
OLR3 Schema Editor |
1 |
4/1/02 |
Institute for Information Systems, University of Hannover |
Instantiation and editing of external or custom schemas conforming to RDFS. Concept-specific filtering to present choice of legal properties. |
RDFS |
RDF URIs; {browser based} |
RDF |
No |
Yes, for property constraints, etc. |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Part of the Open Learning Repository Version 3 (OLR3) system for course specification. |
http://www.kbs.uni-hannover.de/~tkunze (German only) |
|
|
OntoBuilder |
1.0 |
6/13/02 |
Institute for Medical Information, Statistics and Epidemiology University of Leipzig |
Manages compilation of domain terms, their description, and contexts using natural language. |
Natural language; (logical representation language planned) |
{Web access} |
No |
No |
Not automatically |
Yes, with editor, moderator and administrator user group types. |