OML is an external DSL with OWL2-DL as the host language

The key characteristics between the external DSL and the host language are:

• The abstract syntax structure of OML is a restricted subset of the abstract syntax structure of OWL2-DL, which means that:

  • Every well-formed OML [terminology] has a corresponding external representation as a well-formed OWL2-DL ontology.
  • A proper subset of well-formed OWL2-DL ontologies correspond to well-formed OML [terminologies].

• OML defines a [normalized relational tabular schema] for the serialization and interchange of OML [terminologies] with the following guarantees:

  • Every well-formed OML [terminology] has a unique serialization as an OML [tables.zip].

  • The structural difference between two well-formed OML [terminologies] is precisely the set of rows that are added or deleted when comparing their OML [tables.zip] serializations.

  • Two well-formed OML [terminologies] are structurally equivalent if and only if their OML [tables.zip] serializations are identical.

  • Structurally different OML [terminologies] have external representations as OWL2-DL ontologies that are structurally different per OWL2-DL regardless of the normative serialization used, such as OWL2 Functional Syntax, OWL2 RDF/XML, OWL2 XML.

• The semantics of an OML [terminology] is defined inductively by the structural mapping to the host language, in the following way:

  • An OML [terminology] maps to an OWL2-DL ontology.

  • An OML [term] of some kind maps to a pattern of OWL2 axioms including an OWL2 declaration for an OWL2 entity corresponding to the OML [term].