[LC Response] To Chris Welty Re: RIF perspective on supported datatypes

Dear Chris (and the RIF WG),

Thank you for your message
  <http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-owl-comments/2009Jan/0032.html>
on the OWL 2 Web Ontology Language last call drafts.  

The working group paid close attention to the datatypes that it
supports.  We examined the XML Schema datatypes to determine those that
are acceptable for use within OWL.  The datatypes xsd:normalizedString,
xsd:token, xsd:Name, xsd:NCName, and xsd:NMTOKEN are simply derived from
xsd:string and pose no problems for OWL 2.  They are therefore included
in the datatypes of OWL 2.

There was considerable discussion of owl:rational in the working group.
There are natural uses for owl:rational (for example in recipes) but
another reason to include owl:rational is to support n-ary datatypes
with linear equations in data ranges.  This optional extension to OWL 2
is in preparation; the current document can be found at
<http://www.w3.org/2007/OWL/wiki/Data_Range_Extension:_Linear_Equations>

The OWL working group is interested in there being a set of Web
compatible datatypes. Toward that end, the OWL working group will work
with the RIF working group to describe and extend the set of datatypes
supported by both OWL and RIF.

Please acknowledge receipt of this email to
<mailto:public-owl-comments@w3.org> (replying to this email should
suffice). In your acknowledgment please let us know whether or not you
are satisfied with the working group's response to your comment.

Regards,
Peter F. Patel-Schneider
on behalf of the W3C OWL Working Group

Received on Wednesday, 4 March 2009 21:28:48 UTC