Using Ontologies for Data Federation in a SOA Environment

1
Using Ontologies for Data Federation in a SOA
Environment

• Data Semantics in the Federal Sphere

2
Introduction

• Using an Ontology in your SOA framework can make
  Federation of Enterprise Data sources faster and
  easier, provide better integration opportunities
  with internal services, agencies, and to create
  new knowledge.
• In this presentation, we will examine what
  Ontologies are, how they can help make your SOA
  frameworks better, and how you can start working
  with Ontologies now.
• What are Data Semantics and what is an Ontology
• Standards
• How do Ontologies relate to SOA frameworks
• Tools and Usage

3
What are Data Semantics and what is an Ontology?

• Ontology Definition
• An Ontology is a set of well-defined data
  semantics related to a particular domain that
  can be utilized for machine reasoning.
• Where XML can be used to specify the format of
  data (number of allowed characters, character
  sets, regular expressions, etc.) it does not
  inherently contain the meaning of the data.
• A patient in system A may not mean the same exact
  thing as a patient in system B. Ontologies solve
  this problem by defining meta-data classes
  codifying the meaning of data across an
  enterprise

• Semantics Definition
• In linguistics, the study of meanings In
  Computer Science, the formally defined meaning of
  data, distinct from syntax.
• Syntax is the format of the data
• Semantics is the MEANING of the data

W3C Semantic Web Stack
4
History of Semantics in Computer Science

• History of Semantics in Computer Science
• Mainframes and delimited files
• Early databases
• Modern databases
• SGML
• Xml and SOAP
• Ontologies

5
Standards

• W3C (World Wide Web Consortium)
• http//www.w3.org/
• XML (Extensible Markup Language)
• RDF (Resource Description Framework)
• OKBC (Open Knowledge Base Connectivity Protocol)
• DAML (DARPA Agent Markup Language)
• DAMLOIL (Ontology Inference Layer)
• OWL (Web Ontology Language)
• SPARQL (Simple Protocol and RDF Query Language)

6
Federal Standards

• Federal Enterprise Architecture Standards (FEA)
• Business Reference Model (BRM)
• Service Component Reference Model (SRM)
• Performance Reference Model (PRM)
• Data Reference Model (DRM)
• Technical Reference Model (TRM)
• Federal Enterprise Architecture Framework (FEAF)
• Based on National Institute of Standards and
  Technology (NIST) Model
• Architecture Drivers
• Strategic Direction
• Current Architecture
• Target Architecture
• Transitional Processes
• Architectural Segments
• Architectural Models
• Standards

7
Federal Standards Continued

• Federal Enterprise Architecture Reference Model
  Ontology (FEA-RMO)
• Catalyst for innovation and competition for
  semantic interoperability
• Shared Concept
• Line of Sight
• Semantic Detective
• Legislative
• Best Practice Drivers.

8
Federal Enterprise Architecture

• Data Reference Model for Federal Enterprise
  Architecture
• Encourages inter-agency co-operation
• Encourages data federation

• Developed by the Office of Management and Budget
  (OMB)
• - Leverage technology and alleviate redundancy
• - Facilitating horizontal and vertical
  integration
• - Applying architecture best practices

9
Federal Enterprise Architecture Framework (FEAF)

• Promotes Shared Properties
• Promotes Interoperability
• Eight Areas Defined
• Architecture Drivers
• Strategic Direction
• Current Architecture
• Target Architecture
• Transitional Processes
• Architectural Segments
• Architectural Models
• Standards
• Provides direction for establishing "Federal
  segments"
• Cross agency business areas

10
Federal Enterprise Architecture Reference Model
Ontology (FEA-RMO)

• Facilitates cross-agency data analysis
• Helps to identify duplication of IT investment
• Helps to identify gaps in agency and cross-agency
  knowledge
• Provides government wide data query ability
• Increases Opportunities for collaboration
• Five Areas of reference defined
• Performance
• Business
• Services
• Technology
• Data

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How do Ontologies relate to SOA frameworks?

• Using Ontologies to Define Data for Web Services
• Semantic Web Services (Ontology reference
  embedded as SOAP message body)
• Data as a Service
• OWL (Web Ontology Language)
• SPARQL (Simple Protocol and RDF Query Language)
• Machine inferencing

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Tools and Usage

• Ontology editors
• Ontology editors
• Protégé, TopBraidComposer
• Ontology capable databases
• Oracle, TopQuadrant, Ontology Works, domains
  specific DBs
• RDF and ontology classification generators
• OpenCalais, Jade generators,
• SPARQL query engines
• ARQ/Jena (Twinkle), SPARQL Java API ,protégé ,
  TopQuadrant

13
Conclusion

• We have examined Ontologies, how they can be used
  in your SOA frameworks and how they can benefit
  your current and future implementations. We
  specifically looked at
• What are Data Semantics and what is an Ontology
• Standards
• How do Ontologies relate to SOA frameworks
• Tools and Usage
• Ontologies can make your SOA frameworks more
  robust. Your SOA implementations will be easier
  to expand, easier to integrate, and provide new
  knowledge.
• Semantics
• Whether you choose to use a full ontology, or a
  less rigorous data semantic implementation, you
  should plan and consider the data semantics of
  your enterprise when designing your SOA
  framework.

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Further Reading

• Architects listserv for interest in SOA and
  Ontologies
• http//mailman.barnebee.com/mailman/listinfo/soa_o
  ntologies
• Introduction to the Semantic Web
• http//www.w3.org/2003/Talks/1003-Singapore-IH/Ove
  rview.html
• Federal Enterprise Architecture Reference Model
  Ontology (FEA-RMO)
• http//web-services.gov/fea-rmo.html
• Federal Enterprise Architecture reference models
• http//www.whitehouse.gov/omb/egov/a-2-EAModelsNEW
  2.html
• SPARQL Ontology Query Language
• SPARQL Query Language for RDF
• http//www.w3.org/TR/rdf-sparql-query/
• ARQ - SPARQL Tutorial
• http//jena.sourceforge.net/ARQ/Tutorial/
• XML.com Introducing SPARQL Querying the
  Semantic Web
• http//www.xml.com/pub/a/2005/11/16/introducing-sp
  arql-querying-semantic-web-tutorial.html

15
Further Reading Continued

• RDF generation
• OpenCalais
• http//opencalais.com/
• TopQuadrant TopBraid Suite
• http//www.topquadrant.com/topbraid/index.html
• Informational links
• FEA
• http//www.whitehouse.gov/omb/egov/a-1-fea.html
• http//www.whitehouse.gov/omb/egov/documents/FEA_O
  verview.pdf
• FEAF
• http//www.cio.gov/Documents/fedarch1.pdf
• FEA-RMO
• http//web-services.gov/fea-rmo.html
• Achieve semantic interoperability in a SOA
• http//www.ibm.com/developerworks/webservices/libr
  ary/ws-soa-seminterop.html
• Ontologies Databases Similarities
  Differences
• ontolog.cim3.net/.../Ontology-Database_Similaritie
  s-Differences--LeoObrst_20061012.ppt