Several Required OWL Features for Indigenous Knowledge Management Systems

Abstract. This paper describes the features required of OWL to realise and enhance Indigenous Knowledge (IK) digital repositories. Several needs for Indigenous Knowledge management systems (IKMSs) are articulated, based on extensive stakeholder input, and analysed on the suitability of semantic web technologies in addressing them. Based on their potential for impact and maturity, several possible applications are recommended for further investigation and inclusion into current or new IKMSs, including: ontology based querying and browsing; a natural language independent ontology for multilingual data access; support for collaborative knowledge generation; and the formalisation of IK for scientific discovery. For each of these possible applications, the required OWL features are discussed, which include representation of vagueness, mereotopology, modularisation, and extended support for internationalisation and annotation.

Ontological Model for Xhosa Beadwork in Marginalised Rural Communities: A Case of the Eastern Cape

In South Africa, computational ontologies have gained traction and are increasingly viewed as one of the viable solutions to address the problem of fragmented and unstructured nature of indigenous knowledge (IK) particularly in the marginalized rural communities. The continual existence of IK in tacit form has impeded the use of IK as a potential resource that can catalyze socio-economic and cultural development in South Africa. This study was, therefore, designed to address part of this challenge by developing a Xhosa Beadwork Ontology (XBO) with the goal of structuring the domain knowledge into a reusable body of knowledge. Such a reusable body of knowledge promotes efficient sharing of a common understanding of Xhosa Beadwork in a computational form. The XBO is in OWL 2 DL. The development of the XBO was informed by the NeOn methodology and the iterativeincremental ontology development life cycle within the ambit of Action Research (AR). The XBO was developed around personal ornamentation Xhosa Beadwork consisting of Necklace, Headband, Armlet, Waistband, Bracelet, and Anklet. In this study, the XBO was evaluated focused on ascertaining that the created ontology is a comprehensive representation of the Xhosa Beadwork and is of the required standard. In addition, the XBO was documented into a human understandable and readable resource and was published. The outcome of the study has indicated that the XBO is an adequate, shareable and reusable semantic artifact that can indeed support the formalization and preservation of IK in the domain of Xhosa Beadwor