The potential for use of semantic web technologies in IK management systems

Abstract

This paper describes several opportunities to support and enhance Indigenous Knowledge digital repositories through the application of ontologies and semantic web technologies. Several needs for Indigenous Knowledge management systems are articulated. They are analysed to evaluate the possible application of semantic web technologies in IK management systems. Based on their potential for impact and their maturity, a number of these possible applications are recommended for further investigation and inclusion into current or new IK management systems. These include: an enhanced, ontology based querying facility; a facility to browse the knowledge using ontology navigation; a natural language independent ontology for multilingual data access; and a facility to support collaborative knowledge generation. The implementation of selected semantic web technologies in the National IK Management System (NIKMAS) is briefly described.