An Ontology for Apiculture Practices (Onto4API): Towards Semantic Interoperability and Knowledge Sharing in the Apiculture Community

Authors : Sahin Aydin, Samet Okuyan, Serhat Solmaz

Pages : 223-243

Doi:10.18615/anadolu.1749470

View : 41 | Download : 47

Publication Date : 2025-12-31

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :This study presents the development of Onto4API, a domain ontology designed to support semantic interoperability and structured knowledge sharing in the field of apiculture. The ontology addresses the lack of standardized, machine-interpretable vocabularies that hinder knowledge integration and decision support in traditional beekeeping practices. Developed under the guidance of subject-matter experts from the Türkiye Apiculture Research Institute, Onto4API formalizes key concepts, relationships, and production practices in modern beekeeping. The ontology was built using OWL 2 and RDF/XML syntax, and includes 67 classes, six object properties, and 10 data properties. Following the METHONTOLOGY framework, our approach ensures methodological rigor from specification to implementation and evaluation, combining expert validation, reasoning-based consistency checks, and SPARQL-based functional testing. To demonstrate its practical utility, a web-based educational tool was implemented using ASP.NET MVC and dotNetRDF. This prototype enables users to explore apiculture knowledge through SPARQL-based queries in a guided question-and-answer format. By providing a reusable and extensible semantic framework, Onto4API lays the groundwork for future ontology-driven agricultural systems, including intelligent decision support, educational tools, and interoperable data services in apiculture and beyond.
Keywords : Arıcılık uygulamaları ontolojisi, arıcılık ontolojisi, arıcılık bilgi paylaşımı, anlamsal birlikte çalışabilirlik

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