OntoTrek

OntoTrek visualizes application ontologies in three-dimensional space to represent ontology class hierarchies and expose term origins across imported ontologies.

Key Features:

• 3D Visualization: Represents ontology class hierarchies in a three-dimensional environment that leverages human stereoscopic vision and spatial awareness to improve perception of hierarchical structure.
• Interactive Exploration: Enables navigation of ontology space with the ability to focus specific terms in the foreground while maintaining contextual relationships within the broader structure.
• Term Origin Identification: Visually codes the origin of ontology terms to trace imported terms back to their source ontologies and reveal inter-ontology reuse.

Scientific Applications:

• Educational Purposes: Facilitate understanding of ontology term hierarchies and relationships for students and researchers.
• Software Development: Support developers integrating ontologies into applications by mapping term relationships and dependencies.
• Curation Efforts: Aid curation teams in managing and updating ontology resources by visualizing the impact of changes within the interconnected network.
• Funding and Project Planning: Inform assessment of the scope and integration of ontological resources to guide resource allocation and development priorities.

Methodology:

Uses a three-dimensional visualization approach to represent ontology class hierarchies and visually codes term origins within 3D space, leveraging human stereoscopic vision and spatial awareness.