Toward a Standard Rule Language for Semantic Integration of the DoD Enterprise
June 2005
Suzette Stoutenburg, The MITRE Corporation
Leo Obrst, The MITRE Corporation
Deborah Nichols, The MITRE Corporation
Jason Peterson, The MITRE Corporation
Adrian Johnson, The MITRE Corporation
ABSTRACT
Historically, the behavior of Department of Defense (DoD) Command and Control (C2) systems has been embedded in executable code, providing static functionality that is difficult to change. As the complexity and tempo of the world increase, C2 systems must move to a new paradigm that supports the ability to dynamically modify system behavior in complex, changing environments. Separation of rules from executable code provides the foundation for dynamic system behavior and agile response to outside events. A Rule Language Standard is required to realize the full benefits of rule separation including the sharing of rule abstractions across disparate domains, thus enabling interoperability across the enterprise.
As engineers and researchers at MITRE, a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) for the DoD, we have launched a three-year effort to identify DoD requirements that need to be addressed by the Rule layer of the Semantic Web. We believe our research has implications for a broad audience interested in rules for interoperability. We are investigating the interaction between the rule and ontology layers of the Semantic Web to determine how a standard language should best express each for interaction. In particular, we are examining specification, translation and execution of the Semantic Web Rule Language (SWRL) language vs. Web Ontology Language (OWL)+RuleML to determine if the ontology and rule layers are best combined or left separate. We are focused on exploring orchestration of inferencing across layers this year. In future years, our research will address adaptable policy enforcement using ontologies enhanced with rules, dynamic rule distribution, ontological closure and rule annotation for discovery and reuse. We will demonstrate how rules can be used for agile management of information flows in complex, dynamic C2 environments. Throughout this three year effort, we continue to look ahead to anticipate future requirements for the emerging standard. We will share our research plan and preliminary findings at the workshop.
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