About the CHAracterisation MEthodology Ontology (CHAMEO)#

Overview#

The CHAracterisation MEthodology Ontology (CHAMEO) is a domain ontology designed to provide a harmonized representation of materials characterisation methodologies. It serves as a structured framework that models the essential components of various characterisation techniques, ensuring that data from different sources can be integrated, shared, and reused efficiently.

CHAMEO is part of a broader initiative to create a unified semantic framework for materials science and engineering. It is aligned with the Elementary Multiperspective Material Ontology (EMMO), ensuring compatibility with other EMMO-based ontologies and promoting interoperability across different domains of material science.

Motivation and Purpose#

In materials science, characterisation methods are essential for determining the properties and behavior of materials. However, the diversity of techniques and data formats across laboratories, institutions, and industries creates significant challenges for:

  • Data interoperability: Different formats and terminologies make it difficult to integrate data from multiple sources.

  • Knowledge representation: A lack of standardization leads to inconsistencies in how information is recorded and interpreted.

  • Reproducibility and reusability: Without a shared framework, experimental results may be difficult to reproduce or reuse effectively.

CHAMEO addresses these challenges by providing a common semantic framework that defines standardized terms, relationships, and structures for representing materials characterisation data. By doing so, it facilitates:

  • Improved data sharing: Researchers and organizations can exchange characterisation data more easily.

  • Enhanced knowledge discovery: Semantic relationships between different methods and results enable better insights and data mining.

  • Greater reproducibility: Standardized descriptions help ensure that experiments can be replicated accurately.

Relationship with EMMO and CHADA#

CHAMEO is closely aligned with two major standardization efforts:

  1. Elementary Multiperspective Material Ontology (EMMO): CHAMEO is a domain ontology developed under the EMMO framework. This ensures that it shares a common foundational structure with other materials-related ontologies, facilitating seamless integration within the broader EMMO ecosystem.

  2. Characterisation Data (CHADA) Framework: CHAMEO is based on the CHADA documentation scheme introduced in the CEN Workshop Agreement (CWA 17815). CHADA provides guidelines for structuring characterisation data, and CHAMEO translates these guidelines into an ontology-driven framework.

Core Structure of CHAMEO#

CHAMEO is designed as a modular ontology that models the essential elements of characterisation methodologies. Its core components include:

1. Characterisation Methods#

  • Representation of different materials characterisation techniques (e.g., microscopy, spectroscopy, diffraction, mechanical testing).

  • Classification of methods based on their purpose (e.g., structural analysis, chemical composition analysis, mechanical property evaluation).

2. Instruments and Equipment#

  • Standardized descriptions of characterisation instruments (e.g., electron microscopes, X-ray diffractometers, spectrometers).

  • Properties of instruments, such as manufacturer, model, resolution, and operational parameters.

3. Measurement Parameters#

  • Specification of key parameters used in experiments (e.g., voltage in electron microscopy, wavelength in spectroscopy, load in mechanical testing).

  • Representation of units and values in accordance with scientific standards.

4. Sample Representation#

  • Ontological modeling of materials and samples under investigation.

  • Descriptions of sample properties, preparation methods, and environmental conditions during testing.

5. Experiment Results and Outputs#

  • Representation of data outputs, including images, spectra, and numerical datasets.

  • Links between raw data and processed results for reproducibility.

Applications of CHAMEO#

CHAMEO is useful in multiple applications, including:

  • Research and academia: Standardizing characterisation data in scientific publications and research projects.

  • Industry and manufacturing: Ensuring consistency in quality control and materials testing across different facilities.

  • Data integration platforms: Facilitating the development of knowledge graphs and databases for materials science.

  • Machine learning and AI: Providing structured data representations that enhance AI-driven analysis and automation in materials research.

Future Developments#

CHAMEO is a continuously evolving ontology. Future updates will focus on:

  • Expanding coverage to additional characterisation techniques.

  • Enhancing alignment with other domain ontologies within EMMO.

  • Improving interoperability with existing materials data repositories and knowledge graphs.

  • Developing tools and APIs for easier integration into scientific workflows.

For more information, refer to the publication: CHAMEO: An ontology for the harmonisation of materials characterisation methodologies (DOI: 10.3233/AO-220271).

Acknowledgements#

This project has received support from European Union research and innovation programs, under grant agreement numbers:

License#

The CHAracterisation MEthodology Ontology (CHAMEO) is released under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license (CC BY 4.0).