HACKER Q&A
📣 kakadu

Why isn't there a database of ontologies?


A bank statement, a sales order an invoice and numerous other entities can be pretty much distilled into some sort of ontology.

I have bumped into some attempts but they seem pretty much abandoned.

Why hasn't something like this come to fruition?


  👤 gregjor Accepted Answer ✓
For the examples you gave, any introductory accounting textbook will describe and explain the artifacts of commerce and bookkeeping.

I don't think anyone can answer the "why" question you ask. I would guess because no one thinks such a database would serve any useful purpose, compared to the more usual ways to learn about entities and relationships. Using "ontologies" in a sentence does seem cool, I admit.


👤 eternityforest
What exactly is an ontology? Outside of academic philosophy, is it just a schema?