The general formal ontology (GFO) is an upper ontology integrating processes and objects. GFO has been developed by Heinrich Herre, Barbara Heller and collaborators (research group Onto-Med) in Leipzig. Although GFO provides one taxonomic tree, different axiom systems may be chosen for its modules. In this sense, GFO provides a framework for building custom, domain-specific ontologies. GFO exhibits a three-layered meta-ontological architecture consisting of an abstract top level, an abstract core level, and a basic level. Primarily, the ontology GFO:
- includes objects as well as processes and both are integrated into one coherent system,
- includes levels of reality,
- is designed to support interoperability by principles of ontological mapping and reduction,
- contains several novel ontological modules, in particular, a module for functions and a module for roles, and
- is designed for applications, firstly in medical, biological, and biomedical areas, but also in the fields of economics and sociology.
Read more about General Formal Ontology: Taxonomic Tree of GFO, Categories, Space and Time, Processes and Objects
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