Assessing Ontology Quality with QASAR

Abstract

Ontologies are foundational for enabling semantic interoperability, data integration, and knowledge sharing across a broad spectrum of domains, including biomedicine, engineering, and the social sciences. As their adoption continues to grow, so too does the need for robust methods to ensure their quality. Despite the development of a range of quality assurance frameworks and methodologies aimed at evaluating various aspects of ontology quality, the practical application of these methods remains fragmented. In this demonstration, we present QASAR, a novel, integrated quality assurance tool designed to bridge this gap. QASAR consolidates several QA methodologies developed by our team into a unified, user-friendly platform. The system supports a broad set of quality dimensions and alignment with best practices and community standards. By offering automated analyses, interactive reports, and guided recommendations, QASAR enables both novice and experienced ontology developers to iteratively improve their ontologies with greater ease and confidence. Through this tool, we aim to promote the creation of higher-quality ontologies and foster broader adoption of quality assurance practices within the ontology engineering lifecycle. QASAR represents a step forward in operationalizing ontology quality assurance by providing a streamlined and accessible environment for comprehensive ontology evaluation.