Representation of Action is a Primary Requirement in Ontologies for Interoperating Information Systems

Ontologies at the present time are generally rich data models. The interoperating information system engineering paradigm Service-Oriented Architecture recognizes that the key issue in interoperating information systems is the actions performed by these systems, not so much the data. Further, the organizationally heterogeneous nature of these interoperating systems means that the individual object is difficult to characterize by classes. This chapter investigates the problems raised by giving priority in ontology representation to individuals and actions over classes, outlining a number of significant research questions in representation languages for ontologies.