RE: Importing the correct version of an ontology

Not quite. The distinction is between the URI that identifies the ontology and the Web address where the OWL file can be found. The URI that identifies the ontology remains the same in all cases and as long as you always want the latest and greatest version of the ontology then the URI and the Web address are identical. It's really not different than if you use a local copy of an ontology OWL file rather than getting it off the Web for each access.

FWIW for compatibility between versions we don't allow changes to the intended membership of a class ... ever i.e. versions of classes isn't a reasonable concept, versions of the text that define a class is a reasonable concept. If you change the membership then it's a new class. We then don't remove classes either. We can deprecate classes though.

We hope this approach means we're following best practices wrt versioning OWL.

Cheers,
David


-----Original Message-----
From: semantic-web-request@w3.org on behalf of Andrea Splendiani
Sent: Fri 2007-09-21 12:10
To: David Price
Cc: semantic-web
Subject: Re: Importing the correct version of an ontology
 
Thanks, that's what I thought.

but isn't :
> http://docs.oasis-open.org/plcs/refdata/V2
that was what I was referring to by encoding the version in the URI,  
my fault, sorry, I have been kind of unprecise!

best,
Andrea




Il giorno 21/set/07, alle ore 02:33, David Price ha scritto:

> We're publishing OWL ontologies in the OASIS PLCS TC following the  
> best practices from the W3C. So:
>
> Version information is not encoded in the URI for an ontology.  
> Version information is included as annotation properties. The  
> latest and greatest release of the ontology is always available at  
> a Web address (i.e. URL) that matches the URI. Previous releases  
> are also available but at version-specific Web addresses - still  
> with the same un-versioned URI.
>
> For example:
>
> http://docs.oasis-open.org/plcs/refdata is the URI for the ontology  
> in all cases. It is also the Web address for the latest and  
> greatest ontology.
>
> http://docs.oasis-open.org/plcs/refdata/V1 contains the same  
> ontology when version 1 is published.
>
> When version 2 is published, then
>
> http://docs.oasis-open.org/plcs/refdata contains the version 2  
> ontology
>
> http://docs.oasis-open.org/plcs/refdata/V2 contains the same  
> version 2 ontology
>
> http://docs.oasis-open.org/plcs/refdata/V1 contains the version 1  
> ontology.
>
> This lets ontology importing tools/users decide when to use  
> ontology V1 vs. V2 or whether to always use the latest and  
> greatest. The Protege "Ontology Repository" capability is a simply  
> example of how users can control this.
>
> This is our current plan but our first publication has not yet  
> happened. Given OASIS is a standards body an approach like this is  
> perhaps more workable than in the free-for-all that is the Semantic  
> Web.
>
> Cheers,
> David
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: semantic-web-request@w3.org on behalf of Andrea Splendiani
> Sent: Fri 2007-09-21 01:49
> To: semantic-web
> Subject: Importing the correct version of an ontology
>
> Dear list,
>
> I have a doubt:
>
> To be able to refer to the correct version of an ontology, is the
> only way to encode the version information in the URI ?
>
> The version information in the header is not clear (to me) how can be
> used for this.
>
> And if I build an ontology that imports and extends other
> ontologies... I need to refer to a version of them! (think about bio-
> ontologies that have some level of dynamicity).
>
> Any idea ?
>
> best,
> Andrea
>
> -----------
> Andrea Splendiani
> post-doc, bootstrep project (www.bootstrep.eu)
>
> UPRES-EA 3888 - Laboratoire d'Informatique Médicale
> CHU de Pontchaillou
> 2, rue Henri Le Guilloux
> 35033 Rennes - France
> Tel : +33 2 99 28 92 45 / +33 2 99 28 42 15 (secr.)
> Fax : +33 2 99 28 41 60
>
> 48° 07.275N
> 1° 41.643W
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

-----------
Andrea Splendiani
post-doc, bootstrep project (www.bootstrep.eu)

UPRES-EA 3888 - Laboratoire d'Informatique Médicale
CHU de Pontchaillou
2, rue Henri Le Guilloux
35033 Rennes - France
Tel : +33 2 99 28 92 45 / +33 2 99 28 42 15 (secr.)
Fax : +33 2 99 28 41 60

48° 07.275N
1° 41.643W