The Smart Appliance REFerence ontology SAREF is a shared model of consensus developed in close interaction with the industry to enable semantic interoperability for smart appliances. Smart appliances are intelligent and networked devices that accomplish some household functions, such as cleaning or cooking. This paper focuses on specific aspects of SAREF's development cycle, such as the design principles on which the ontology is based and the stakeholders' requirements from which certain modelling decisions originated. Moreover, we discuss the work to be done in the immediate future for SAREF to evolve concerning its maintenance, versioning, extension and governance. Open questions include how to guarantee the correct usage of SAREF, how to systematically manage the growth of extensions and specializations of SAREF in a consistent network of ontologies, and who should be responsible for these activities.
['Laura Daniele', 'Frank T. H. den Hartog', 'J.S.L.A.W.B. Roes']
How to Keep a Reference Ontology Relevant to the Industry: A Case Study from the Smart Home