{"ID":2829523,"CreatedAt":"2026-06-01T04:54:23.091178241Z","UpdatedAt":"2026-06-01T04:54:23.091178241Z","DeletedAt":null,"paper_url":"https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.12260","arxiv_id":"2512.12260","title":"A Multi-Axial Mindset for Ontology Design Lessons from Wikidata's Polyhierarchical Structure","abstract":"Traditional ontology design emphasizes disjoint and exhaustive top-level distinctions such as continuant vs. occurrent, abstract vs. concrete, or type vs. instance. These distinctions are used to structure unified hierarchies where every entity is classified under a single upper-level category. Wikidata, by contrast, does not enforce a singular foundational taxonomy. Instead, it accommodates multiple classification axes simultaneously under the shared root class entity. This paper analyzes the structural implications of Wikidata's polyhierarchical and multi-axial design. The Wikidata architecture enables a scalable and modular approach to ontology construction, especially suited to collaborative and evolving knowledge graphs.","short_abstract":"Traditional ontology design emphasizes disjoint and exhaustive top-level distinctions such as continuant vs. occurrent, abstract vs. concrete, or type vs. instance. These distinctions are used to structure unified hierarchies where every entity is classified under a single upper-level category. Wikidata, by contrast, d...","url_abs":"https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.12260","url_pdf":"https://arxiv.org/pdf/2512.12260v1","authors":"[\"Ege Atacan Doğan\",\"Peter F. Patel-Schneider\"]","published":"2025-12-13T09:59:22Z","proceeding":"cs.AI","tasks":"[\"cs.AI\",\"cs.DB\"]","methods":"[]","has_code":false}