The Open Ontology Repository Initiative : Requirements and Research Challenges

Very large data sets are increasingly common both in science and industry. However, incorporating multiple data types from multiple sources to solve major problems is a significant interoperability challenge. Furthermore, documents and other artifacts created in the past can be as important as recently created data sets, but interoperability with such legacy data can also be difficult. The problem with such data sets is not only the differences in recording media and formats but also the enormous changes in terminology over time. Data sets run the risk of rapid obsolescence as the meaning and formats of the data fields are forgotten or no longer available. Semantic technologies based on logic, databases and the Semantic Web can address the problem of meaningful access to and integration of data both today and over decades and centuries. This paper discusses an initiative to develop and deploy a new federated interoperability infrastructure called the Open Ontology Repository (OOR). The OOR is intended to enable communities to manage the full metadata management lifecycle. The OOR grew out of the Ontolog community that has existed for over 6 years and continues to grow in both size and diversity. An initial OOR server based on BioPortal has been deployed, and further development will emphasize technological solutions that build on existing ontology repositories as well as proven architectures and standards. Nevertheless, many research challenges remain to achieve the requirements that have been identified. This paper reports on the research challenges of the OOR initiative and the requirements that gave rise to them. Ultimately, it is hoped that the OOR initiative will result in the deployment of a robust, federated knowledge repository that can collectively correct for multiple points of failure and can foster collaborative stewardship of knowledge and metadata.