Integrating ontologies: Assessing the use of the Cyc ontology for cadastral applications

Most GISs uses system specific data models and databases. Although standardisation efforts have been made during decades, the integration of different data models is still a research issue. Ontologies are developed to provide an interface between diverse domains or universes of discourse. For example, ontological engineering is applied for establishing standards in the field of Geographic Information, as appears from the EuroConference on the Ontology and Epistemology for Spatial Data Standards, September 2000. The paper introduces shortly ontological engineering as well as the Cyc ontology. The Cyc ontology is one of the few general-purpose or 'universal' ontologies that are publicly available. The Cyc ontology is reviewed from the point of view of a specific, yet multi-disciplinary knowledge domain, namely that of cadastral studies. The review provides the basis for an assessment of the usability of the Cyc ontology, and for the suggestion of further research.