On Using Conceptual Modeling for Ontologies

Are database concepts and techniques suitable for ontology design and management? The question has been on the floor for some time already. It gets a new emphasis today, thanks to the focus on ontologies and ontology services due to the spread of web services as a new paradigm for information management. This paper analyzes some of the arguments that are relevant to the debate, in particular the question whether conceptual data models would adequately support the design and use of ontologies. It concludes suggesting a hybrid approach, combining databases and logic-based services.