KWTR: f-logic

[edit] Contributors:

Jos de Bruijn, FUB

Markus Schatten, FOI

Please add your CV in the list of contributors

F-Logic is a syntactical extension to first-order logic with features for object oriented modeling, and seemingly higher-order constructs. F-Logic is typically implemented as an extension of logic programming.

• 1. CURRENT TRENDS IN SEMANTIC WEB (In the following part we intend to identify the state of the art of Semantic Web based theories, methods, applications and tools in your research field.)

• • 1.1. One or more examples (case studies) in which semantic web has been used.

  Name of the institutions:
  Industry / sector: 
  Business activities improved by the SW solutions: 
  Research Needs: 
  Name of the project:
  Tools and applications implemented in the project:

• • 1.2. The first 4 Semantic Web based tools used in your research fields.

Name: FLORA-2
Website: http://flora.sourceforge.net/
Main characteristics:  Extends the XSB Prolog engine with support for frames (F-Logic) and transactions (transaction logic).
Open problems: 

Name: OntoBroker
Website: http://ontobroker.semanticweb.org/
Main characteristics:  Datalog-based reasoner for F-Logic. Supports negation under the well-founded semantics.
Open problems: 

Name: OntoStudio
Website: http://www.ontoprise.de/content/e1171/e1249/index_eng.html
Main characteristics:  Modeling tool for F-Logic-based ontologies and rules.
Open problems: 

• • 1.3. A short summary of the first 3 best papers in the field.

Reference: Michael Kifer, Georg Lausen, James Wu: Logical Foundations of Object-Oriented and Frame-Based Languages. J. 
 ACM 42(4): 741-843 (1995)
Short abstract: We propose a novel formalism, called Frame Logic (abbr., F-logic), that accounts in a clean and 
 declarative fashion for most of the structural aspects of object-oriented and frame-based languages. These features include 
 object identity, complex objects, inheritance, polymorphic types, query methods, encapsulation, and others. In a sense, 
 F-logic stands in the same relationship to the objectoriented paradigm as classical predicate calculus stands to relational 
 programming. 

Reference:  Guizhen Yang, Michael Kifer, Chang Zhao: Flora-2: A Rule-Based Knowledge Representation and Inference 
 Infrastructure for the Semantic Web. CoopIS/DOA/ODBASE 2003: 671-688
Short abstract: Flora-2 is a rule-based object-oriented knowledge base system designed for a variety of automated tasks 
 on the Semantic Web, ranging from meta-data management to information integration to intelligent agents. The Flora-2 system 
 integrates F-logic, HiLog, and Transaction Logic into a coherent knowledge representation and inference
 language. The result is a  exible and natural framework that combines rule-based and object-oriented paradigms. This paper 
 discusses the principles underlying the design of the Flora-2 system and describes its salient features, including  
 meta-programming, reifiation, logical database updates, encapsulation, and support for dynamic modules.

• • 1.4. A short list of open problems in theories and methods.

• 2. TRENDS ON THEORIES AND METHODS, SERVICES AND APPLICATIONS

• • 2.1. Research projects in which contributors are involved, along with a general description. Moreover, suggest for each project the possible future uses and applications related to the Semantic Web, the acceptance and diffusion in each period considered, the benefits, and the problems that will be probably occur.

Name of the project: 
Type: 
Duration: 
Partners: 
Research Institution: 
Industrial Partners: 
Core activities: 
Market opportunities: 
Problems and missing tools: 
Problems – Semantic Web culture is missing: 

• • 2.2. Some topics that will not be solved in short and medium term, for each of them there is a short explanation of the main reasons and (if possible) some references.

Topics: 
Reason: 
References: none

• 3. TRENDS ON TOOLS
  • 3.1. A list of the most relevant semantic based demos in the area.

Name: TaOPis
Website: http://autopoiesis.foi.hr
Description: TaOPis provides (besides others) a semantic wiki subsystem based on F-Logic. Particularly 
the FLORA-2 reasoning engine and syntax are used.
References: see TaOPis for more info
Main features: complete object-oriented environment, attribute-value tags, dynamic querying and content 
generation, ontology export, probability annotation through social network analysis
Open problems: semantic web services, probability based reasoning, social network analysis based amalgamation

• • 3.2. A short description of tools that are still missing. A description of business activities and problems they should solve, will be provided.

• 4.Please fell free to add any comment or suggestion.