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Description Logic Introduction

Description logics are a family of knowledge representation formalisms that can be used to describe a domain in terms of concepts, roles, and individuals. They are decidable fragments of first-order logic that have formal model-theoretic semantics and provide inference services through sound and complete decision procedures. A description logic knowledge base typically consists of a TBox that defines the terminology/schema of the domain as a set of axioms about concepts and roles, and an ABox that contains assertions about named individuals.

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126 views

Description Logic Introduction

Description logics are a family of knowledge representation formalisms that can be used to describe a domain in terms of concepts, roles, and individuals. They are decidable fragments of first-order logic that have formal model-theoretic semantics and provide inference services through sound and complete decision procedures. A description logic knowledge base typically consists of a TBox that defines the terminology/schema of the domain as a set of axioms about concepts and roles, and an ABox that contains assertions about named individuals.

Uploaded by

Imran
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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An Introduction to

Description Logics
(chapter 2 of DLHB)

What Are Description Logics?


A family of logic based Knowledge Representation formalisms
Descendants of semantic networks and KL-ONE
Describe domain in terms of concepts (classes), roles
(relationships) and individuals

Distinguished by:
Formal semantics (typically model theoretic)
Decidable fragments of FOL
Closely related to Propositional Modal & Dynamic Logics
Provision of inference services
Sound and complete decision procedures for key problems
Implemented systems (highly optimised)

Origions of DLs

Knowledge connecting persons, parents, etc.


Described as semantic network
Semantic networks whitout a semantics

DL Architecture

Man Human u Male


Happy-Father Man u 9 has-child
Female u

Abox (data)
John : Happy-Father
hJohn, Maryi : has-child

Interface

Tbox (schema)

Inference System

Knowledge Base

Short History of Description Logics


Phase 1:
Incomplete systems (Back, Classic, Loom, . . . )
Based on structural algorithms

Phase 2:
Development of tableau algorithms and complexity results
Tableau-based systems for Pspace logics (e.g., Kris, Crack)
Investigation of optimisation techniques

Phase 3:
Tableau algorithms for very expressive DLs
Highly optimised tableau systems for ExpTime logics (e.g., FaCT,
DLP, Racer)
Relationship to modal logic and decidable fragments of FOL

Latest Developments
Phase 4:
Mature implementations
Mainstream applications and Tools
Databases
Consistency of conceptual schemata (EER, UML etc.)
Schema integration
Query subsumption (w.r.t. a conceptual schema)
Ontologies and Semantic Web (and Grid)
Ontology engineering (design, maintenance, integration)
Reasoning with ontology-based markup (meta-data)
Service description and discovery
Commercial implementations
Cerebra system from Network Inference Ltd

Description Logic Family


DLs are a family of logic based KR formalisms
Particular languages mainly characterised by:
Set of constructors for building complex concepts and roles
from simpler ones
Set of axioms for asserting facts about concepts, roles and
individuals

Simplest logic in this family is named AL


Others are specified by adding some suffixes like U N C:
ALC
ALCU
etc.

Description logic AL

Example constructs:

More AL family members


Disjunction (U)
Full existential quantification ( )
Number restrictions (N)

Full negation (C)


Example:

Other DL Concept and Role


Constructors
Range of other constructors found in DLs, including:
Qualified number restrictions, e.g., 2 hasChild.Female,
1 hasParent.Male
Nominals (singleton concepts), e.g., {Italy}
Inverse roles, e.g., hasChild (hasParent)
Transitive roles, e.g., hasChild* (descendant)
Role composition, e.g., hasParent o hasBrother (uncle)

DL as fragments of Predicate Logic

Lisp like style for DL

DL Knowledge Base
DL Knowledge Base (KB) normally separated into 2 parts:
TBox is a set of axioms describing structure of domain (i.e., a
conceptual schema), e.g.:
HappyFather Man hasChild.Female
Elephant Animal L
arge Grey
transitive(ancestor)
ABox is a set of axioms describing a concrete situation (data),
e.g.:
John:HappyFather
<John,Mary>:hasChild

Terminologies or TBoxes

Terminologies or Tboxes (cont.)

Inference services

Inference service: concept satisfiability

Inference services based on satisfiability

Inference service: concept subsumption

Concept examples

Example taxonomy

World description: ABox

ABox inference services

Abox inference services (cont.)

ABox example

TBox taxonomy plus individuals

Open world assumption

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