Supporting rule system interoperability on the semantic web with SWRL

Rule languages and rule systems are widely used in business applications including computer-aided training, diagnostic fact finding, compliance monitoring, and process control. However, there is little interoperability between current rule-based systems. Interoperation is one of the main goals of the Semantic Web, and developing a language for sharing rules is often seen as a key step in reaching this goal. The Semantic Web Rule Language (SWRL) is an important first step in defining such a rule language. This paper describes the development of a configurable interoperation environment for SWRL built in Protégé-OWL, the most widely-used OWL development platform. This environment supports both a highly-interactive, full-featured editor for SWRL and a plugin mechanism for integrating third party rule engines. We have integrated the popular Jess rule engine into this environment, thus providing one of the first steps on the path to rule integration on the Web.