Ontology is a formal naming and definition of the types, properties, and interrelationships of the entities that exist in a particular domain of information. Ontologies are created to limit complexity and to organize information. Ontologies are considered one of the pillars of the Semantic Web.
The term ontology has its origin in philosophy and has been applied in many different ways. The word element onto- comes from the Greek "being", "that which is". The meaning within information management is a model for describing information that consists of a set of types, properties, and relationship types. Ontologies share many structural similarities, regardless of the language in which they are expressed. Most ontologies describe individuals (instances), classes (concepts), attributes, and relations.
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