CODATA-VAMAS Uniform Description System (UDS) for Materials on the Nano-scale — A Draft Framework — NQCG´s view on UDSnano applicability for ontology engineering with suggested changes to improve its structural logic model.

1. CODATA-VAMAS JWG on Description
System for Materials on the Nano-scale
Uniform Description System (UDS)
for Materials on the Nano-scale
A Draft Framework
COMMENTS - NORWAY
ICSU Headquarters Paris, France, 2014-04-14/15
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2. The four UDS information
categories
 General identifiers
 Characterization
 Life cycle history
 Specifications
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3. Thumb rules for ontology
construction
 An ontology class should not contain too many
members
 The class structure should be a convenient
representation of the domain of knowledge.
(User dependent)
 These points guides the division of concepts
into classes and properties in the ontology
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4. Division of UDS categories into
ontology classes and properties
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5.  Substructure of the UDS ontology classes
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6.  Substructure of the UDS property hierarchy
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7.  We have added the “Specifications” property
three for convenience
 The UDS category “General identifiers” is split
into ontology classes and data properties;
“Common names” and “Material classes” are
classes in the ontology while “Specific names”
and “Identification numbers and codes” are data
properties
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8. The “Individual nano-object” class
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9. Part of the entire class structure
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10. The entire data property hierarchy
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11. Ontology applied to real
nanomaterials
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12.  The ontology interface tells us that the class
“Single-walled” is a subclass of “Nanotube” and
has (currently) one member called “755710
ALDRICH”
 To learn more about this individual we click on
its name following the diamond in the right
panel:
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14.  The left panel shows all the ontology classes
this nanomaterial belongs to
 The right panel gives numerical values of
various data properties
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15. Conclusion
 The four information categories of the UDS system
appear to be convenient for construction of ontologies
for nanomaterials
 Ontology building would however be easier if each
UDS category could be implemented as EITHER
ontology class OR property. For example, the
“General identifiers” category contains both “Classes”
and “Specific names”. While “Classes” is (of course) a
natural ontology class, a class of “Specific names”
would contain all nanomaterials, and thus “Specific
names” was implemented as a data property instead.
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