The FOLE Database

Abstract: This paper continues the discussion of the representation and interpretation of ontologies in the first-order logical environment {\ttfamily FOLE} (Kent). Ontologies are represented and interpreted in (many-sorted) first-order logic. Five papers provide a rigorous mathematical representation for the {\ttfamily ERA} (entity-relationship-attribute) data model (Chen) in particular, and ontologies in general, within the first-order logical environment {\ttfamily FOLE}. Two papers (Kent and another paper) represent the formalism and semantics of (many-sorted) first-order logic in a \emph{classification form} corresponding to ideas discussed in the Information Flow Framework (IFF). Two papers (Kent and the current paper) represent (many-sorted) first-order logic in an \emph{interpretation form} expanding on material found in the paper (Kent). A fifth paper (Kent) demonstrates that the classification form of {\ttfamily FOLE} is "informationally equivalent" to the interpretation form of {\ttfamily FOLE}, thereby defining the formalism and semantics of first-order logical/relational database systems. Although the classification form follows the entity-relationship-attribute data model of Chen, the interpretation form incorporates the relational data model of Codd. Two further papers discuss the "relational algebra" (Kent) and the "relational calculus". In general, the {\ttfamily FOLE} representation uses a conceptual structures approach, that is completely compatible with the theory of institutions (Goguen and Burstall), formal concept analysis (Ganter and Wille), and information flow (Barwise and Seligman).