Spatial Knowledge Representation on the Semantic Web

The Region Connection Calculus based on 8 relations (RCC8) is one of several extensively researched methods to use for qualitative spatial representation and reasoning. We discuss several issues arising when representing RCC8 in OWL DL, a decidable fragment of OWL. There is no direct encoding of such a calculus in OWL DL, as the language lacks required features such as role reflexivity, role Boolean operators, and role inclusion axioms. Some of these features are to be included in the new version of the OWL standard, OWL 2, but this language still lacks the expressive power to support role negations, conjunctions, disjunctions, and complex role inclusion axioms. Recently, advances in description logics languages as SROIQBs have made possible expressing some of the above constructs, while maintaining the decidability of the language. In this paper, we exploit these new opportunities by providing qualitative spatial knowledge representation on the Semantic Web.