Axiom Generation for Automated Ontology Construction from Texts Through Schema Mapping
Ontology learning from unstructured text has become a critical task for knowledge-driven applications in Big Data and Artificial Intelligence. While significant advances have been made in the automatic extraction of concepts and relations using neural and Transformer-based models, the generation of formal Description Logic axioms required for constructing logically consistent and computationally tractable ontologies remains largely underexplored. This paper puts forward a novel pipeline for automated axiom generation through schema mapping. Our paper introduces three key innovations: a deterministic mapping framework that guarantees logical consistency (unlike stochastic Large Language Models); guaranteed formal consistency verified by OWL reasoners (unaddressed by prior statistical methods); and a transparent, scalable bridge from neural extractions to symbolic logic, eliminating manual post-processing. Technically, the pipeline builds upon the outputs of a Transformer-based fusion model for joint concept and relation extraction. We then map lexical relational phrases to formal ontological properties through a lemmatization-based schema alignment step. Entity typing and hierarchical induction are then employed to infer class structures, as well as domain and range constraints. Using RDFLib and structured data processing, we transform the extracted triples into both assertional (ABox) and terminological (TBox) axioms expressed in Description Logic. Experimental evaluation on benchmark datasets (Conll04 and NYT) demonstrates the efficacy of the approach, with expert validation showing high acceptance rates (>95%) and reasoners confirming zero inconsistencies. The pipeline thus establishes a reliable, scalable foundation for automated ontology learning, advancing the field from extraction to formally verifiable knowledge base construction.
Authors
- Mandlenkosi Gwetu
- Jean Vincent Fonou-Dombeu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7802-6089)
- Tsitsi Zengeya
Institutions
- Stellenbosch University (ZA)
- Umkhuseli Innovation and Research Management (ZA)
- University of KwaZulu-Natal (ZA)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Machine Learning and Knowledge Extraction
- Published
- 2026-01-26
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/make8020029
- Primary Topic
- Semantic Web and Ontologies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00