Ontological Approach to Developing Information Operations Applications for Use on the Semantic Web

摘要

Information Operations (IO) have the potential to alter the landscape of modern warfare through the sustained application of a broad spectrum of kinetic and non-kinetic effects. Operations of this type offer the benefit of reducing the scope of direct conflict by shaping the perceptions of a potential adversary. The complexity and diversity of IO makes it an ideal beneficiary of software applications, but current systems have yet to truly leverage domain expertise in systems development. By expressing IO capabilities in a formal ontology suitable for use on the Semantic Web, conditions are set such that computational power can more efficiently be leveraged to better define required capabilities and more reliably predict effects. The purpose of this thesis is to identify gaps in existing IO software applications, demonstrate how IO capabilities may be represented in a software ontology, and develop a process by which an IO ontology may be adapted for use on the Semantic Web. These objectives are accomplished by examining leading IO applications, demonstrating a process for converting the IO problem domain into an ontology using the Protege 3.3 Ontology Editor, and assessing the suitability of the ontology for use on the Semantic Web.