Bridging Taxonomies and Ontologies: Advancing Data Management for DAM and Information Professionals

Registration for this series includes access to all sessions to view live and watch again on demand.

Session 1: Foundations of Taxonomy and Ontology
Tuesday February 11, 2025
8AM PST / 11AM EST / 4PM GMT / 5PM CET

• WHY? The Semantic Layer
• Quick Introduction to Taxonomy
  ○ Definition, purpose, and use cases of taxonomies
  ○ Taxonomy development and management basics
   
• Introduction to Ontology
  ○ Ontology concepts and their importance in data management
  ○ Key differences between taxonomy and ontology
   
• The importance of the Data Model

➢ Classification Exercise

Session 2: Extending Taxonomies to Ontologies
Wednesday February 19, 2025
8AM PST / 11AM EST / 4PM GMT / 5PM CET

• Key Concept: Intro to W3C standard SKOS (Simple Knowledge Organisation System)
   
• Transitioning from Taxonomy to Ontology: first steps
   
• Identifying use cases for ontology creation: data model
  ○ Analysing existing taxonomies for ontological potential
  ○ Identifying relationships beyond hierarchical structures

➢ Exercise: analysing taxonomy and modelling relationships

Session 3: Ontology Creation and Integration
Wednesday February 25, 2025
8AM PST / 11AM EST / 4PM GMT / 5PM CET

• Constructing Ontologies : Steps to building an ontology from a taxonomy
  ○ Defining the purpose and scope
  ○ Research: existing ontologies
  ○ Determine metadata and data model
  ○ Start small: Identifying your starting point
  ○ Invite domain expertise for collaboration and stakeholder buy-in
  ○ Choose your tools
  ○ Determine Ontology ID: some key rules for IRIs
  ○ Create an upper-level ontology

➢ Exercise: create upper ontology and basic relationships

Session 4: Practical Applications of Ontology
Wednesday March 4, 2025
8AM PST / 11AM EST / 4PM GMT / 5PM CET

• Best practices in ontology modelling
  ○ Reuse existing resources
  ○ Upper ontology as starting point
  ○ Represent entities in reality, not just data structures
  ○ Use a multi-tiered architecture
  ○ Ensure modularity
  ○ Maintain consistency
  ○ Validate

➢ Exercise: guided hands-on workshop using popular ontology design software