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Developing an Ontology

  • Protocol
Bioinformatics

Part of the book series: Methods in Molecular Biology™ ((MIMB,volume 452))

Abstract

In recent years, biological ontologies have emerged as a means of representing and organizing biological concepts, enabling biologists, bioinformaticians, and others to derive meaning from large datasets. This chapter provides an overview of formal principles and practical considerations of ontology construction and application. Ontology development concepts are illustrated using examples drawn from the Gene Ontology (GO) and other OBO ontologies.

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Acknowledgments

The author thanks Tim Rayner and Jane Lomax for valuable comments on the manuscript. The chapter content makes extensive use of material made available from the ISMB 2005 tutorial on “Principles of Ontology Construction” prepared by Suzanna Lewis, Barry Smith, Michael Ashburner, Mark Musen, Rama Balakrishnan, and David Hill, and of a presentation by Barry Smith to the GO Consortium.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. European Molecular Biology Laboratory — European Bioinformatics Institute, Hinxton, Cambridge, United Kingdom

    Midori A. Harris

Authors
  1. Midori A. Harris
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Mathematical Sciences, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia

    Jonathan M. Keith PhD

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© 2008 Humana Press, a part of Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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Harris, M.A. (2008). Developing an Ontology. In: Keith, J.M. (eds) Bioinformatics. Methods in Molecular Biology™, vol 452. Humana Press. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60327-159-2_5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-60327-159-2_5

  • Publisher Name: Humana Press

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-58829-707-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-60327-159-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Protocols

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