Source
Department of Medical Informatics, Freiburg University Hospital, Stefan-Meier-Strasse 26, 79104 Freiburg, Germany. stschulz@uni-freiburg.de
Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
Support for the symbolic representation of the physical structure of living organisms by an ontologically solid and logically sound foundation as a basis for formal reasoning.
METHODS:
A set of canonical relations and attributes necessary for empirically adequate descriptions of biological entities is proposed.
RESULTS:
It is shown how a broad range of biological organisms and their parts can be represented by cascading theories which are ordered by the dimensions of granularity, development, species, and canonicity.
CONCLUSION:
The proposed representation of biological objects is non-redundant and compatible with inter- and intra-species similarities, developmental stages and pathological deviations.