OntoAPI: An Ontology-based Data Integration Approach by an a Priori Articulation of Ontologies

In this paper, we concentrate on the problem of integrating heterogeneous, autonomous and evolving sources using conceptual ontologies. We propose an ontology-based approach by an a priori articulation of ontologies. It assumes that each source has its own ontology that references shared domain ontology. To guarantee the autonomy of sources, the shared ontology can be extended/refined locally. We also study the problem of managing the evolution of sources and show its effect on the integrated system. In ontology based integration systems, the evolution is more challenging, because it concerns not only schemas and populations of sources, but also ontologies (local and shared).