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Get Started with NCOR

Welcome to the Ontology Research & Development Network! This guide will help you understand what NCOR is, why you might want to join our network, and how to get involved with our various initiatives.

What is NCOR?​

The National Center for Ontological Research (NCOR) is a global non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the field of ontology through fostering research centers in different countries around the world. We serve as:

  • A coordinating hub for ontological research and education
  • An international community of ontology experts and practitioners
  • A provider of resources for implementing ontologies in various domains
  • A facilitator of cross-cultural ontology development

NCOR promotes the development of high-quality, interoperable ontologies across diverse cultural perspectives and domains.

Why Join NCOR?​

Organizations and individuals join NCOR for several compelling reasons:

  • Knowledge Exchange: Connect with leading experts in ontology research
  • Cross-Cultural Collaboration: Participate in international initiatives
  • Access to Resources: Leverage established ontologies like CCO and BFO
  • Implementation Support: Get guidance on applying ontologies to real-world problems
  • Standards Development: Contribute to emerging ontology standards
  • Community: Join a network of researchers and practitioners

How to Get Involved​

1. Join Our Community​

# Subscribe to our mailing list
# Join our Slack workspace
# Attend our next virtual meeting

2. Explore Our Resources​

NCOR supports several ontology projects including:

ProjectDescription
Basic Formal Ontology (BFO)Upper-level ontology providing a framework for domain ontologies
Common Core Ontologies (CCO)Mid-level ontology suite bridging BFO and domain ontologies
National Ontology CentersCountry-specific ontology research centers

3. Attend Events and Working Groups​

NCOR hosts regular events and working groups:

  • Biweekly BFO-CCO Office Hours
  • NCOR CCO Working Group meetings
  • Annual ontology conferences and workshops
  • Domain-specific ontology development initiatives

Implementation Examples​

Here's an example of how organizations use NCOR-supported ontologies:

@prefix : <http://example.org/ncor-implementation#> .
@prefix bfo: <http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/BFO_> .
@prefix cco: <https://github.com/CommonCoreOntology/CommonCoreOntologies/AgentOntology#> .
@prefix rdf: <http://www.w3.org/1999/02/22-rdf-syntax-ns#> .
@prefix rdfs: <http://www.w3.org/2000/01/rdf-schema#> .
@prefix owl: <http://www.w3.org/2002/07/owl#> .

# Create a culturally-specific organization type
:JapaneseResearchCenter rdf:type owl:Class ;
    rdfs:subClassOf cco:Organization ;
    rdfs:label "Japanese Research Center"@en ;
    rdfs:label "研穢センター"@ja .

Next Steps​

Once you're familiar with NCOR:

  1. Explore Design Patterns - Learn about the ontology design patterns we support
  2. Join Working Groups - Participate in NCOR working groups
  3. Attend Office Hours - Get help at scheduled office hours
  4. Review Documentation - Dive deeper into our complete documentation

Need Help?​