PNNL

Abstract

In this article, we analyze the current state of application of ontologies in biology, try to reveal the reasons for the existing difficulties, recommend a possible solution to the current problems and describe prospects and future challenges for the application of ontologival engineering in biological domains. We focus on the example of the ontology developed by the Microarray Gene Expression Society (MGED) for describing microarray experiments. We have chosen this example not because it is particularly bad, but because it exhibits the typical problems of biologival ontologies, and beause MGED has been promoted as an international standard. We wholeheartedly agree that such standards are extremely valuable, but we also believe that their promoters are particularly obliged to get them right, otherwise their whole advantage is negated.