# US 2014/0156638 A1 · Ontology harmonization and mediation systems and methods > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0156638 A1 - Document ID: US20140156638A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/691,655 - Filed: 2012-11-30 - Published: 2014-06-05 - Earliest claimed: 2012-11-30 - Assignees: Orbis Technologies, Inc. - Applicants: Orbis Technologies, Inc. - Inventors: Sameer Joshi; Zachery Whitley - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140156638A1 ## CPC - G06F 16/254: {Extract, transform and load [ETL] procedures, e.g. ETL data flows in data warehouses} - G06F 16/2452: Query translation - G06F 16/2471: {Distributed queries} - G06F 16/256: {in federated or virtual databases} - G06F 16/258: {Data format conversion from or to a database} - G06F 16/9535: Search customisation based on user profiles and personalisation - G06F 16/9538: Presentation of query results - G06F 40/30: Semantic analysis - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract A method and system for harmonizing and mediating ontologies to search across large data sources is disclosed. The method comprises receiving a query targeting a first ontology. The method further comprises translating the query into one or more translated queries, each translated query targeting a respective ontology different from the first ontology. For each of the queries, issuing the query to a respective database organized according to the respective ontology of the query, and receiving a respective result set for the query, wherein the respective result set corresponds to the respective ontology of the query. The method further comprises translating the respective result set into a translated result set corresponding to the first ontology, aggregating the result sets into an aggregated result set corresponding to the first ontology, and returning the aggregated results set corresponding to the first ontology. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A method of servicing a multi-database query, the method comprising: receiving, by a computer, a query targeting a first ontology translating, by a computer, the query into one or more translated queries, each translated query targeting a respective ontology different from the first ontology; for each of the queries: issuing the query, by a computer, to a respective database organized according to the respective ontology of the query, and receiving, by a computer, a respective result set for the query, wherein the respective result set corresponds to the respective ontology of the query; for each of the translated queries: translating, by a computer, the respective result set into a translated result set corresponding to the first ontology; aggregating, by a computer, the result sets into an aggregated result set corresponding to the first ontology; and returning, by a computer, the aggregated results set corresponding to the first ontology. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: mapping, by a computer, a target ontology to a plurality of source ontologies. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 wherein said database comprises data being stored in its native data format. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The method of claim 3, further comprising: adapting, by a computer, non-standard said native data formats stored in said databases to a standard RDF format. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1 further comprising: maintaining, by a computer, a plurality of ontologies and ontology alignments and mappings associated with said databases through versioning and governance of metadata of said databases. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: mediating, by a computer, a plurality of ontologies. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein said plurality of ontologies are mediated to a central ontology in a star configuration. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6 wherein said mediating a plurality of ontologies is performed using open standards comprising OWL, RDF, and EDOAL. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: describing, by a computer, each database by a database schema; overlaying, by a computer, one or more database ontologies to each of said database schemas; mapping, by a computer, said database ontologies to a plurality of small domain ontologies; and combining, by a computer, said plurality of small domain ontologies to create system ontologies. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, wherein said ontology comprises a user analytic ontologies specified by a user. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: storing, by a computer, data associated with data in said databases for entity correlation and disambiguation. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: storing, by a computer, source specific statistics and metadata describing the data in said databases both qualitatively and quantitatively. ### Claim 13 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, further comprising: configuring, by a computer, said databases with a semantic web enabled layer. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The method of claim 13, wherein said semantic web enabled layer comprises a SPARQL endpoint. ### Claim 15 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6, wherein said mediating a plurality of ontologies comprises: mapping, by a computer, a plurality of ontologies using defined mappings, wherein said defined mappings comprise formal semantic language. ### Claim 16 (depends on 2) The method of claim 2, wherein said first ontology comprises a target ontology, and said respective ontology different from the first ontology comprises a source ontology mapped to said target ontology. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein the said translated result set corresponds to the target ontology. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising: displaying, by a computer, results in a virtual unified view. ### Claim 19 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6 where mediating, by a computer, a plurality of ontologies comprises: defining, using a computer, custom mappings of ontology instances from one format to another. ### Claim 20 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6 where mediating, by a computer, a plurality of ontologies comprises: storing, by a computer, data associated with data in said database for entity correlation and disambiguation. ### Claim 21 (depends on 6) The method of claim 6 where mediating, by a computer, a plurality of ontologies comprises: storing, by a computer, source specific statistics and metadata describing the content of said database both qualitatively and quantitatively. ### Claim 22 A system comprising: two or more databases; one or more computer processing cores; and one or more memories coupled to the computer processing cores and storing program instructions executable by the processing cores to implement an ontology harmonization and mediation engine configured to issue a query across said two or more databases by: receiving a query targeting a first ontology translating the query into one or more translated queries, each translated query targeting a respective ontology different from the first ontology; for each of the queries: issuing the query to a respective said database organized according to the respective ontology of the query, and receiving a respective result set for the query, wherein the respective result set corresponds to the respective ontology of the query; for each of the translated queries: translating the respective result set into a translated result set corresponding to the first ontology; aggregating the result sets into an aggregated result set corresponding to the first ontology; and returning the aggregated results set corresponding to the first ontology. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The system of claim 22 further comprising: mapping a target ontology to a plurality of source ontologies. ### Claim 24 (depends on 22) The system of claim 22 wherein said two or more databases comprise data being stored in its native data format. ### Claim 25 (depends on 24) The system of claim 24, further comprising: adapting non-standard said native data formats stored in said databases to a standard RDF format. ### Claim 26 (depends on 22) The system of claim 22, further comprising: maintaining a plurality of ontologies and ontology alignments and mappings associated with said databases through versioning and governance of metadata of said databases. ### Claim 27 (depends on 22) The system of claim 22, further comprising: mediating a plurality of ontologies. ### Claim 28 (depends on 27) The system of claim 27, wherein said plurality of ontologies are mediated to a central ontology in a star configuration. ### Claim 29 (depends on 27) The system of claim 27, wherein said mediating a plurality of ontologies is performed using open standards comprising OWL, RDF, and EDOAL. ### Claim 30 (depends on 22) The system of claim 22, further comprising: describing each said database by a database schema; overlaying one or more database ontologies to each of said database schemas; mapping said database ontologies to a plurality of small domain ontologies; and combining said plurality of small domain ontologies to create system ontologies. ### Claim 31 (depends on 22) The system of claim 22, wherein said ontology comprises a user analytic ontology specified by a user. ### Claim 32 (depends on 22) The system of claim 22, further comprising: storing, in said one or more memories, data associated with data in said databases for entity correlation and disambiguation. ### Claim 33 (depends on 22) The system of claim 22, further comprising: storing, in said one or more memories, source specific statistics and metadata describing the data in said databases both qualitatively and quantitatively. ### Claim 34 (depends on 25) The system of claim 25, further comprising: configuring said databases with a semantic web enabled layer. ### Claim 35 (depends on 24) The system of claim 24, wherein said semantic web enabled layer comprises a SPARQL endpoint. ### Claim 36 (depends on 27) The system of claim 27, wherein said mediating a plurality of ontologies comprises: mapping a plurality of ontologies using defined mappings, wherein said defined mappings comprise formal semantic language. ### Claim 37 (depends on 23) The system of claim 23, wherein said first ontology comprises a target ontology, and said respective ontology different from the first ontology comprises a source ontology mapped to said target ontology. ### Claim 38 (depends on 27) The system of claim 27, wherein the said translated result set corresponds to the target ontology. ### Claim 39 (depends on 22) The system of claim 22, further comprising: a video display interface, wherein said video display interface is coupled to said one or more computer processing cores and is configured to: display said query results in a virtual unified view. ### Claim 40 (depends on 27) The system of claim 27 where mediating a plurality of ontologies comprises: defining custom mappings of ontology instances from one format to another. ### Claim 41 (depends on 27) The system of claim 27 where mediating a plurality of ontologies comprises: storing, in said one or more memories, data associated with data in said database for entity correlation and disambiguation. ### Claim 42 (depends on 27) The system of claim 27 where mediating a plurality of ontologies comprises: storing, in said one or more memories, source specific statistics and metadata describing the content of said database both qualitatively and quantitatively.