In this paper, we describe the concept of ontological design. We show how ontologies can be used as cognitive maps of complex, ill-structured, plastic problems. They can be used to concisely encapsulate the core logic of a problem. From it one can also derive a closed set of a very large number of natural language descriptions of a problem. The ontologies can be plastic but at the same time systematic, repeatable, and extensible. They can be used to map the gaps between the states-of-the-art, -practice, and need. Knowing the gaps strategies can be designed to bridge them. Thus, ontological design is a method of logical analysis, synthesis of research and practical knowledge, its interpretation, and application to the design of solutions to complex, illstructured, and plastic problems. We illustrate ontological design in the context of eHealth. Categories and Subject Descriptors • D.2.10 Design o Methodologies o Representation General Terms Management, Design, Theory. Keywords Ontolo...
Arkalgud Ramaprasad, Sridhar S. Papagari