Methodology used while developing RA-SKG
The SAMOD methodology was adopted in developing RA-SKG. SAMOD is an abbreviation for Simplified Agile Methodology for Ontology Development, and it represents a novel agile methodology for the development of ontologies by means of small steps of an iterative workflow that focuses on creating well-developed and documented models starting from exemplar domain descriptions. More details about this methodology can be found at this web page.
In the case of this project, the team was split into two groups. The first group was created by domain experts, i.e. people with some experience in the research assessment process. The second group was created by model engineers. The task assigned to the first group was to write motivating scenarios. After a couple of meetings and discussion about motivating scenarios, the team decided to create two motivating scenarios:
- Academic profiles for researchers
- Indicators for monitoring Research Performing Organisations
Basic description of those scenarios including examples has been provided by the first group (domain experts), as well as informal competency questions for those scenarios. The second group (model engineers) created glossaries based on scenarios descriptions and linked informal competency questions, diagrams, formal model as a TBOX expressed in the turtle notation, sample data as an ABOX expressed in the turtle notation, formal representation of competency queries, and conducted tests whether created model is capable to provide responses on queries.
Links to all resources produced in the process mentioned in the previous paragraph for two scenarios are listed below:
- Academic profiles for researchers
- Indicators for monitoring Research Performing Organisations
By creation of all resources listed above a modelet has been created for each motivating scenario. A modelet is a stand-alone model supporting a particular motivating scenario. By definition, a modelet does not include entities from other parts of the final model (RA-SKG-IF). Model engineers after creation of modelet for each motivating scenario, conducted merging of modelet with SKG-IF model and producing RA-SKG-IF. At the end, model engineers refactored and optimized the final RA-SKG-IF model.