An Integrated Method Using Conceptual Modelling to Generate an Ontology-based Query Mechanism

The application of ontologies in information systems is becoming increasingly prevalent. In particular, the use of ontologies as a conceptual view for the purpose of accessing information stored in underlying data repositories can increase the effectiveness of mechanisms for information querying and browsing. However, the process of ontology construction requires expertise in DLs, which is a scarce skill. An opportunity has been identified to capitalise on the advantages of ontologybased querying while reducing the challenges encountered in ontology construction, by utilising conceptual modelling techniques more prevalent in information systems development teams. This can be achieved by using traditional conceptual modelling techniques to develop a conceptual model of the domain of interest and utilising this to generate an ontology-based query mechanism. In this paper, an overview of an integrated method that uses conceptual modelling to generate an ontologybased query mechanism is presented. The described method utilises existing tools, technologies and approaches. The challenges regarding integration are addressed resulting in an end-to-end method. The developed method was evaluated and refined by applying it in a real-world domain of Indigenous Knowledge, in particular to the themes of African Traditional Medicine and Food Security. The resulting method can be utilised by any organisation interested in building an ontology-based query mechanism over information in a specific domain.