Representing the UMLS® semantic network using OWL (or "what's in a Semantic Web link?")

Vipul Kashyap, Alex Borgida

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

43 Scopus citations

Abstract

The Semantic Network, a component of the Unified Medical Language System® (UMLS), describes core biomedical knowledge consisting of semantic types and relationships. It is a well established, semi-formal ontology in widespread use for over a decade. We expected to "publish" this ontology on the Semantic Web, using OWL, with relatively little effort. However, we ran into a number of problems concerning alternative interpretations of the SN notation and the inability to express some of the interpretations in OWL. We detail these problems, as a cautionary tale to others planning to publish pre-existing ontologies on the Semantic Web, as a list of issues to consider when describing formally concepts in any ontology, and as a collection of criteria for evaluating alternative representations, which could form part of a methodology of ontology development.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationLecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)
EditorsDieter Fensel, Katia Sycara, John Mylopoulos
PublisherSpringer Verlag
Pages1-16
Number of pages16
ISBN (Electronic)9783540203629
DOIs
StatePublished - 2003

Publication series

NameLecture Notes in Computer Science (including subseries Lecture Notes in Artificial Intelligence and Lecture Notes in Bioinformatics)
Volume2870
ISSN (Print)0302-9743
ISSN (Electronic)1611-3349

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Theoretical Computer Science
  • General Computer Science

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