The automotive ontology

Abstract

Cars have been increasingly equipped with technology, meeting the demand of people for safety, connectivity, and comfort. Upcoming HMIs provide access to in-car systems and web services in a personalized manner that facilitates a large array of functionality even while driving, with other passengers also benefiting from an enhanced experience. Such intelligent applications however depend on a solid basis to be effective: Personalization, adaptive HMI, situation-aware intelligent systems -- either of these require semantic knowledge about the user, the vehicle, the current driving situation. Advanced functions coexist with sensors, other functions, and even other vehicles. In such an environment, collaboration can be highly beneficial. Obtaining a common understanding of knowledge and providing a platform to exchange it is essential in order to reach the next level of intelligent in-car systems. This work describes the Automotive Ontology, which is located at the core of such an open platform. We give an overview of design areas relevant to automotive applications, as well as meta aspects that facilitate inference and reasoning.