Towards a design for RDF, OWL, and SPARQL ontology and presentation in a Liferay web portal

In consideration of methodologies in which the Abel NGO ontologies may be well presented in a web based format, I've been considering a few available options, as in increasing order of complexity: OWLDoc, SPARQL + XSLT, or alternately, a concept of developing a portal application for the Liferay web portal framework, namely in its community edition. Considering candidly: (1) That OWLDoc's presentation of annotations onto property assertions, while straightforward, is nonetheless difficult to intuit a meaning of; (2) that SPARQL + XSLT, while novel, might not in intself present a complete solution for the concerns of web-based ontology presentation and editing; (3) that although it may be a rather involving project, to develop a web portal application for Liferay, namely for ontology presentation an edition, that nonetheless I think it is an encouraging project to pursue -- in which context: I've begun designing a web portal application for Liferay, for presentation and editing of ontology data via a Liferay web portal implementation.

My first concern, in that task, has been sketch out a simple API diagram, toward presentation of ontology data objects. This afternoon, I've developed the following UML class diagram as a baseline model for such an API. This is in using Dia, as installed via the Dia Installer [1] In thumbnail, the diagram appears as following - clicking on the graphic object will result in the display of a full-frame view of the item:

I happen to prefer Apache Jena as the OWL API for this application.

I've also sketched out a few "To Do" items for that application, namely:

1. Complete the presentation model -- esssentialy, making JSR286::Resource extensions for modeling of each "first class entity" in the Jena API, then developing one or more presentation models for those Resource objects, as namely would be implemented in a portlet 
2. Develop an integration for Jena SDB onto the Liferay database model. This might require extension of the Liferay service builder API
3. Develop an integration for the ontology data model, onto the Liferay user auth/permissions model. This might require an application, if not a new design of a means for defining access control lists directly onto the ontology data model, then integrating that implementation onto the Liferay user permissions and authorization model. Liferay, itself, would be managing the features of user authentication, in the application
4. As a lowest priority item, develop a means for tracking changes within the ontology data model. This might require a definition of a change management service, with corresponding integration onto the Liferay service builder API.
5. SPARQL integration
• Develop a SPARQL extension onto the Liferay service builder API
• Develop a presentation model for plain RDF data queried via SPARQL. 
• The presentation of the RDF format results of a SPARQL query, when possible, may be informed of additional OWL class and property data, such as would be available via the same SPARQL interface
6. Integration of inference engines onto Apache Jena and Liferay
• Inference service API / service builder integration (new)
• Dashboard configuration item? for installation and configuration of a single inference engine, within a containing Liferay web portal application
• Focus on reasoners implementing a DIG interface, as supported in Apache Jena. Referencing:
• DL Implementation Group (DIG)
• HOWTO use Jena and DIG reasoners
• Apache Jena - Reasoners and rule engines: Jena inference support

The project will be applying the CEL inference engine, in proof of concept.

Simply, I'd thought I should mark those notes out, here, before proceeding. Perhaps those linked resources may be of interest to the reader, as well.

I've thought I might name the project ArgonautKM -- though that, as a software project name, it might seem ambiguous into ArgoUML, as now I notice. The name was inspired by the title of the book, Argonauts of the Western Pacific, a very early work in cultural anthropology. Due to the possible ambiguity with regards to the name of the ArgoUML project, itself, certainly I would wish to choose another name for the project, shortly.

[1] Dia Installer and corresponding dia-installer project at SourceForge.net. See also: Diashapes

Abel NGO Core Entities Ontology 1.0.2 - Role Classes, SPARQL, and SWRL

Summary

The Abel NGO Core Ontologies, as of revision 1.0.2, are now defining a class Role -- dellimited with subclasses, Foundry Role, Leadership Role, and Membership Role -- for purpose of defining concepts of a role as a first-class object, within an ontology data model.  Those classes are defined within the Abel NGO Core Entities ontology (v1.0.2).

An additional ontology is defined, for purpose of reviewing the data model as defined in the Abel  NGO Core Entities ontology: entity-test.rdf (v1.0.2). The following illustrates a SPARQL query conducted onto the data model of entity-test.rdf (v1.0.2)

SPARQL Query

PREFIX rdf: <http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#>
PREFIX owl: <http://www.w3.org/2002/07/owl#>
PREFIX xsd: <http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#>
PREFIX rdfs: <http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#>
PREFIX ent: <http://abel-ngo.github.io/km/rdf/entity.rdf#>
SELECT  ?entity ?role ?s
  WHERE { ?entity rdf:type ent:Tribe .
          ?entity ent:constRole ?role .
          ?s ent:fulfillsRole ?role .
}

SWRL Rules and Inference

Corresponding to the addition of Role classes to the Abel NGO Core Entities Ontology (v1.0.2), the same ontology now defines a set of deduction rules in SWRL. In summary, onto the namespace of the Abel NGO Core Entities Ontology.

Provided:

• Social Entity A is defined as an instance of Social Entity, or any subclasses thereof.
• Role B is defined as an instance of a class Membership Role, or any subclasses thereof
• Entity C is defined as an instance of Entity, or any subclasses thereof
• Role B is denoted as a role constituted by Entity A  (i.e B constBy A, or conversely: A constRole B)
• Role B is denoted as a role fulfilled by Entity C (i.e B fulfilledBy C, or conversely: C fullfilsRole B)

Due to the definition of the same SWRL deduction rules, it would be inferred:

• Entity C is a member of Social Entity A, i.e C memberOf A

In this model, the concept of a role is defined of a first order class, Role. This may serve to draw a conceptual distinction between entity and role. Furthermore, the construction of the data model, as such, would allow for that a SPARQL query may be constructed so to search for a particular class of role, within the ontology data model.

The matter of the deductive inference onto the memberOf property might be considered as it being a matter intended mostly for convenience in presentation of entities and roles. 

The Abel NGO Core Entities ontology v1.0.2 with its component SWRL rules has been tested in the HermiT 1.3.8 inference engine, in Protege 5.0. The SWRL rules were defined originally with Protege 3.5.

An Introduction to the Abel NGO Ontological Graph about Ukraine

Today, in one year's solitary search for peace of mind and of heart, I have arrived at a study of the ages old fable of Cain and Abel -- in which I shall reference, Cain and Abel, scriptures and legends selected and edited by D. L. Ashliman. I had first learned of the story, when I was a child attending a Freewill Baptist Church, in what was then a small town in central California. I had learned the story with the dim knowledge of a child, and I certainly could feel that there was a weight of moral significance to the story's themes. As an adult, I now understand that is a story of the very concept of fratricide -- a moral story, moreover a story conveyed in numerous works in world literature, not only or exclusively conveyed of the Christian Bible.

Traditional texts may retell of the fable, far better than may I. I may only endeavor to summarize the story, simply: That Abel was strong of faith, but he was envied by his brother, Cain. Abel was then assassinated out of Cain's mortal jealousy. Surely, Abel's strength of faith would transcend the event of the mortal terminus, while Cain would wander the earth after his brutal misdeed.

Surely, there are examples, too many, in the world, today -- too many examples to illustrate any one meaning of the singular story of the brothers Cain and Abel. Simply, it is the oldest fable that I know of, telling of an act of fratricide in a familial community. There is not a thing soever decadent in the Biblical account of that old literal story. I understand it as it being a moral story of brutality, of jealousy, of a brother envying then murdering his brother -- and though Cain was the one survivor, no justification for the immoral deed of his own brother's murder. It is furthermore a story of of faith, of morals, and of the soul's integrity unto a sovereign divinity, by any names God, forever beyond humankind's means to ever known in full and complete.

It is to remember the spirit of Abel's strong faith, the context of which I begin this short narrative summary, now, of my own best understanding. I shall endeavor to reference this narrative with objective evidence of the facts of which I draw this narrative, now.

Ukraine is in a civil war, a fratricidal war lead of fascist aggressors attacking, murdering Ukraine's own people. Azov, Aydar, and any other Ukraine Army battalions have recruited extremist from Right Sector and other fascist elements. The climate of Ukraine is clearly descendent into chaos, the calloused aggressors clearly having no respect for life., property, or human sanctity except to continue their brutal strikes.

Russia is not an aggressor in the conflict. Russia is accepting refugees fleeing the brutality. What administrations may seek to end the conflict, that end cannot be served by estranging Russia, condoning Ukraine's failing leadership, and lending further leave to the fascists infiltrating the Ukraine army under that same leadership.

I have no reputation to part ways with, in my candor -- my views not beholden to social agendas, except for peace and safety for the people of Ukraine.

If there is a gain to be sought in this new endeavor of a literal journalism, I wish to help to develop knowledge, by de facto legally and in a moral ethic, accurately, furthermore materially credible means. In endeavoring to this simple goal, I shall make reference to existing web standards -- including the Resource Description Framework (RDF) and the Web Ontology Language (OWL), technical recommendations of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) in this, my simple endeavor of an open journalism about the human crisis having developed in Ukraine.

While the world has lobbied so many nerf-dart accusations of Russia, and the the economists would strive to return the world to a Cold War economy, Ukraine is struggling under the attacks of a fascit element targeting Ukraine's own people. The egregious cost of the administration's own gross negligence in condoning the attacks -- and even in offering to train up battalions of a Ukraine Army clearly infiltrated of sociopathic extremists -- it may every be too much for one man's conscience to bear. So far as facts may be ascertained of the ongoing tragedy, I may endeavor to limit my references only to OWL graph nodes, when that is the most that I may bear of the epistemic strain of a realistic view of such inhuman brutality.

Let the reader assume whatsoever of my own person's character. I am neither Cain nor Abel, I am an only son, and I believe that war is but a precursor to peace.

Abel NGO - Statement of Purpose

Abel NGO is a not-for-profit organization dedicated to developing knowledge resources for support of humanitarian goodwill endeavor within crisis regions in the world social climate. This organization has begun, informally, on 7 August 2014, focusing on an independent study of the humanitarian crises recently developing in Ukraine.

Abel NGO, as an organization, is staffed by one individual author, Sean Champ -- a person of no aspiring biography, certainly, and only some limited experience in climates of political, academic, social, and technical endeavor. Informally a student of anthropology since 1998, Linux host management and Common Lisp software programming since 2000, though never as a fan of any manner of "Hacker" motif, furthermore having completed an enlistment as engineer in the United States Army, Sean Champ is now formally a student of an introductory electronics ad computing program at DeVry University Online. However, foregoing the opportunity to rely on the alma matre for career guidance -- if that must be in lieu of relying on his own knowledge, sense of ethics, and entrepreneurial intuition -- Sean Champ is moreover living as an unemployed veteran in a socially volatile economy, effectively stranded and voluntarily self-sequestered in a consistently, culturally primitive region in Northern California -- to speak well of it, in leaving so much "At that," of evident intentions and evidently desired effects of attitudes in the local community.

If there may be an opportunity for good social entrepeneurialism, for a work that would be clearly not unbounded of rational ethics, neither inviting of ambiguity of material structure and design, perhaps this begins one person's study of a fratricidal war in a republic independent of the US and independent of Russia, namely Ukraine.

The author does not claim any special knowledge, but only a careful attentiveness about thin shreds of news escaping the virtual media blockade -- the silence to humanitarian interests, the emphasis of statist dogma, the veritable economic wargaming, and the state's support so far levied in all of state naivete to a Ukraine army infiltrated of sociopathic elements clearly destabilizing the Ukraine society, making targets of Ukraine's own people, and Ukraine's own hospitals, and Ukraine's own infrastructure -- that same virtual media blockade.

This effort is made not either to glorify and neither to demean the character of the cultures locked in the humanitarian crisis clearly having developed in Ukraine. Not for statist dogma, not for strawman characterization, this work seeks to collect and collate simple facts, in an open forum, for public understanding and for the safety of humnanitarian aid yet deployed to support the cause of peace, in that region yet torn of a crisis, purportedly a civil war.