Cognitive Semantics and Spatio-Temporal Ontologies

Cognitive semantics has established close ties between semantics and spatial cognition. Yet, applications of cognitive semantics to the design of spatio-temporal ontologies remain difficult and rare. Ideas such as image schemas, prototypes and radial categories, basic level categories, mental spaces, and conceptual blendings are still largely unexplored in their potential for ontology engineering. The only idea that has received wide-spread attention in the ontology community so far is that of conceptual spaces (Gärdenfors 2001). The following special issue presents work at the intersection of several lively research areas contributing to ontology engineering. It originates in a workshop on the Potential of Cognitive Semantics for Ontologies that was held in conjunction with FOIS 2004, the International Conference on Formal Ontology in Information Systems (http://www.formalontology.org). A substantial part of the workshop contributions addressed the role of space and time, either as shaping cognition or as subjects of ontologies. The call for papers to this special issue built on the workshop contributions, discussions, and results (http://musil.uni-muenster.de/workshop2004/), but was open to any submissions on the role of cognitive semantics in ontologies of space and time. Fourteen papers have been submitted and each of them has been refereed by at least three internationally renowned scientists. Of the selected four papers, two were written by workshop participants and two were contributed by others. This introductory section provides a broader introductory perspective on the topic and relates the four papers to it.