About

NeOn was a project involving 14 European partners, co-funded by the European Commission’s Sixth Framework Programme under grant number IST-2005-027595. It began in March 2006 and spanned four years.

The project aimed to advance the use of ontologies for large-scale semantic applications within distributed organisations. Specifically, it focused on improving the ability to manage multiple networked ontologies that existed within specific contexts, were collaboratively created, and were highly dynamic and constantly evolving.

One of the key outcomes of the project was the NeOn Toolkit.

Background

The increasing availability of information shifted the focus from closed, data-poor applications to systems capable of searching, integrating, and utilising vast amounts of data. Ontologies played a crucial role in enabling intelligent access, integration, and sharing of information. As ontologies became more complex and widespread, they provided new opportunities for building advanced systems that leveraged large-scale semantic resources.

However, traditional methodologies and technologies, designed for older data-limited systems, proved inadequate for supporting the full development lifecycle of modern semantic applications. To address this, the NeOn project developed both tools and a methodology aimed at enabling the creation of a new generation of semantic applications, ensuring economically viable solutions throughout their lifecycle.

Networked Ontologies

Ontologies emerged as a key technology for interoperability on the Web, supporting the integration of both data and processes. Rather than existing as standalone entities, they formed interrelated networks that influenced their meaning and usage. NeOn encapsulated this concept under the term Networked Ontologies, offering tools such as the NeOn Toolkit to develop, test, and utilise ontologies in an interconnected environment.

NeOn investigated the entire development and evolution of networked ontologies, particularly focusing on:

Managing the dynamics and evolution of ontologies in open, distributed environments.
Supporting collaborative development of networked ontologies.
Enabling contextual awareness for the development, adaptation, and maintenance of ontologies.
Improving human-ontology interaction, making ontologies more accessible to users with varying expertise.

NeOn adopted a case-centered methodology, integrating research into real-world applications involving industry and public sector partners. The technologies developed were applied in two key domains—fisheries and the pharmaceutical industry—through three case studies.

NeOn Structure & Funding

The NeOn project involved 14 partners from various European countries, representing both academia and industry. It was funded under the Sixth Framework Programme (FP6) of the European Union, within the Information Society Technologies (IST) priority area. FP6 aimed to strengthen Europe’s scientific and technological base while fostering international competitiveness and supporting broader EU policies. The program funded over 700 research projects addressing 26 societal and economic challenges, involving institutions from across Europe.

Case Studies

The NeOn project included three use cases that served as testbeds for its technologies, demonstrating their practical application and potential impact. These use cases focused on two sectors with early adopter businesses where rapid and significant benefits could be achieved.

One use case, led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO), explored an ontology-driven fish stock depletion assessment system. It tested how NeOn’s semantically-oriented technologies could help address the issue of information silos in fisheries. This case study resulted in a network of populated fisheries ontologies and a prototype software system showcasing the capabilities of NeOn technologies.

Another use case, managed by ISOCO, focused on supporting collaboration in the pharmaceutical industry. It involved developing an infrastructure and APIs to integrate proprietary systems for managing financial and product knowledge interoperability within networks of pharmaceutical laboratories, companies, and distributors in Spain.

Partners

NeOn brought together a critical mass of scientific and technological leaders in the fields of ontology engineering, context awareness, collaborative technologies, software engineering and human-computer interaction from several European countries.