From relational databases to an ontology — Practical considerations

One of interesting problems, arising with deployment of large-scale systems, is integration of its nodes (systems / devices). In this work, we discus how to apply semantic technologies, as a mechanism to support node integration and facilitate interoperability within the developed ecosystem. We focus on pragmatic aspects of the proposed solution, discussed from the perspective of the Dependable Embedded Wireless Infrastructure (DEWI) EU project. In this context, a brief analysis of typical integration problems and reasons to apply solution based on semantic technologies is presented. Moreover, the integration procedure is outlined. Here, the key aspect that is discussed in considerable detail, is conversion from the DEWI nodes (based on a traditional relational database approach) towards universal cooperative nodes, which use semantic technologies.