Sensor Module Ontology
type: Ontology
label: Sensor Ontology
abstract: This module contains terms and relations necessary for representing basic sensor entities.
contributor: Ana Teresa Correia, Institut fuer angewandte Systemtechnik Bremen GmbH (ATB-Bremen)
contributor: Dragan Stokic, Institut fuer angewandte Systemtechnik Bremen GmbH (ATB-Bremen)
contributor: Dusan Sormaz, Ohio University
contributor: Gabriela Henning, CONICET
contributor: Jim Logan, Ontogenesis
contributor: Marcela Vegetti, University of Santa Fe
contributor: Mark Schubert, Parson Europe
contributor: Roberto Sala, University of Bergamo
contributor: Todd Schneider, Engineering Semantics
creator: Product Service System (PSS) working group
license: http://opensource.org/licenses/MIT
publisher: Industrial Ontology Foundry
imports: Core
imports: SupplyChain
version IRI: Sensor
copyright: Copyright (c) 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026 Open Applications Group
maturity: Provisional

detecting device
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: MaterialArtifact
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: hasFunction
    some values from: detecting function
example: litmus paper
natural language definition: a device or instrument designed to detect the presence of a particular object or substance and to emit a signal in response
semi formal natural language definition: material artifact that bears a detector role

detecting function
type: Class
subclass of: BFO_0000034
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: BFO_0000054
  all values from: detecting process
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: functionOf
  some values from: detecting device
natural language definition: detecting is the function that provides information

detecting process
type: Class
subclass of: observing process
natural language definition: a process that discovers or determines the existence, presence, or fact of some entity

detector role
type: Class
subclass of: BFO_0000023
natural language definition: role held by an entity that is designed to detect the presence of a particular object or substance and to emit a signal in response

detector specification
type: Class
subclass of: DesignSpecification
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: prescribes
  all values from: detecting device
natural language definition: design specification that prescribes a detector

observation
type: Class
subclass of: InformationContentEntity
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: isOutputOf
  some values from: observing process
natural language definition: an information content entity that represents a remark, statement, or comment based on something one has seen, heard, or noticed by an observer

observer
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: Agent
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: hasRole
    some values from: observer role
example: a person or a system that watches or notices or measures something to gain information
natural language definition: an agent that has an observer role

observer role
type: Class
subclass of: AgentRole
natural language definition: agent role held by a person, organized group of agents, or engineered system when it perceives or notices an entity and distinguishes that entity from other entities in its environment

observing process
type: Class
subclass of: PlannedProcess
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: hasSpecifiedOutput
  all values from: observation
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: BFO_0000057
  some values from: observer
natural language definition: a planned process executed by an observer which may produce an observation

sensing function
type: Class
subclass of: BFO_0000034
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: BFO_0000054
  all values from: sensing process
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: functionOf
  some values from: sensor
explanatory note: a sensing function might inhere in different entities: a machine, in lots of different things of different kinds…
natural language definition: the function of reacting to the environment

sensing process
type: Class
subclass of: observing process
natural language definition: a process to detect especially in response to a stimulus

sensor
type: Class
comment: From SSN: A sensor can do (implements) sensing: that is, a sensor is any entity that can follow a sensing method and thus observe some Property of a FeatureOfInterest. Sensors may be physical devices, computational methods, a laboratory setup with a person following a method, or any other thing that can follow a Sensing Method to observe a Property. https://www.w3.org/2005/Incubator/ssn/wiki/SSN.html#Sensor
comment: provides physical property?
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: BFO_0000040
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: hasRole
    some values from: sensor role
explanatory note: We are thinking here about physical sensor not virtual sensors/soft sensor
natural language definition: a material entity that responds to changes in its environment

sensor measurement process
type: Class
subclass of: MeasurementProcess
natural language definition: measurement of the value of an attribute of a sensor

sensor role
type: Class
subclass of: BFO_0000023
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: roleOf
  some values from: BFO_0000040
explanatory note: this role may be held by entities other than sensors
natural language definition: role held by an entity that responds to changes in its environment

sensor specification
type: Class
subclass of: DesignSpecification
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: prescribes
  all values from: sensor
natural language definition: design specification that prescribes a sensor

transducer
type: Class
equivalent class: Class
  intersection of: BFO_0000040
  intersection of: Restriction
    on property: hasRole
    some values from: transducer role
example: Any device by which variations in one physical quantity (e.g. pressure, brightness) are quantitatively converted into variations in another (e.g. voltage, position)
example: a loudspeaker that transforms electrical energy into sound energy
natural language definition: material entity when it is used for transforming energy between two different forms
semi formal natural language definition: material artifact that bears a transducer role

transducer role
type: Class
subclass of: BFO_0000023
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: roleOf
  some values from: BFO_0000040
natural language definition: role held by an entity that transforms energy between two different forms

transducer specification
type: Class
subclass of: DesignSpecification
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: prescribes
  all values from: transducer
natural language definition: design specification that prescribes a transducer

owns
type: ObjectProperty
example: PSSProvider owns a PSS (inverse to PSS belongsTo PSSProvider)

is part of
type: ObjectProperty
natural language definition: relates something to another thing that it is some component or portion of, regardless of how that whole-part relationship is manifested

Axiom
comment: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy at http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/mereology/
annotated property: naturalLanguageDefinition
annotated source: is part of
annotated target: relates something to another thing that it is some component or portion of, regardless of how that whole-part relationship is manifested

min qualified cardinality: 1