The OWL in the CASL - Designing Ontologies Across Logics

Abstract. In this paper, we show how the web ontology language OWL can be ac- commodated,within the larger framework,of the heterogeneous common,algebraic specification language HETCASL. Through this change in perspective, OWL can benefit from various useful HETCASL features concerning structuring, modularity, and heterogeneity. This tackles a major problem area in ontology engineering: re-use of ontologies and re-combination of ontological modules. We discuss in particular: (1) the extension of the Manchester syntax for OWL with structuring mechanisms of CASL, allowing for explicit modularisation; (2) automatic translations between ontology languages to support ontology design across different ontology languages (heterogeneity); (3) heterogeneous ontology refinements, and corresponding auto- mated reasoning support for different logics.