Hybrid Approach to Define Axioms of the Multimedia Ontology of the Archaeological Field

Ontologies play a crucial role in knowledge modeling and the semantic web, leading to an increased need for evaluating knowledge engineering endeavors. Our prior research has explored various evaluation techniques for an ontology developed to describe the Tunisian archaeological domain. In this study, we focus on the influence of axiom definition on enhancing ontology quality. Employing a hybrid approach, we integrate both corrective (defining positive axioms) and constructive methods (addressing open-world assumptions by defining axioms using the Object Constraint Language). Leveraging the expressive power of the Ontology Web Language (OWL) and the precise control offered by the Unified Modeling Language (UML) communities, our method accurately captures operational instructions expressed through Object Constraint Language constraints. Evaluation of this hybrid approach demonstrates its significant impact on crafting a usable and coherent ontology. Specifically, our paper outlines: 1) the hybrid approach for axiom definition integrating corrective and constructive methods, 2) a detailed exploration of each method’s phases, and 3) an assessment of the resulting ontology to visualize the impact of axioms in meeting verification and validation requirements within the evaluation process.