NaasAI Research activities

Advancing Research through
Ontologies and AI

We are redefining networks and intelligence with our pioneering work in ontology-driven AI systems, 
built on the foundation of the Basic Formal Ontology (BFO).
Our research and applications aim to transform industries by enabling seamless interoperability
and empowering informed decision-making across organizations.

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Our Foundation in Research Excellence

Naas Research grows out of the tradition of the OBO Foundry and its 20 years of success in deploying ontology assets to drive research in biology and biomedicine. Like the OBO Foundry, we embrace the principles of open collaboration, rigorous methodology, and application-driven ontology development.

Our work is centered on the Basic Formal Ontology (BFO), a globally recognized ISO standard that provides the semantic backbone for organizing and integrating complex data. This foundation ensures interoperability, precision, and scalability across domains.

Collaboration with the Developers of BFOLean about BFO ISO Standard

A Partnership with the Pioneers of Ontologies

Our research applications have been developed in close collaboration with the University at Buffalo, home to the creators of the Basic Formal Ontology. This partnership enables us to bring cutting-edge ontology research into practical, scalable applications for diverse industries, from healthcare to finance.

By combining our expertise in ontologies with the vision of BFO’s creators, we bridge the gap between academic research and real-world implementation.

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"We discovered Naas's open-source work and immediately recognized its potential to revolutionize ontology-driven research and AI applications. Their innovative approach to combining semantic web technologies with practical tools has opened up new possibilities for interoperability and decision-making across domains. It’s a game-changer for both academia and industry"
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John BeverleyAssistant professor at University at Buffalo, researching ontologies, semantic web technology, and formal logic.
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Adding Unique Powers to Research
From Ontologies to DAGs and Bayesian Networks

We extend the power of the Basic Formal Ontology (BFO) and ontologies by incorporating advanced tools like Directed Acyclic Graphs (DAGs) and Bayesian Networks, which are specialized forms of DAGs used for probabilistic reasoning. While DAGs model dependencies and relationships in a clear, acyclic structure, Bayesian Networks go a step further by assigning probabilities to these relationships, enabling powerful predictive and inferential capabilities.

By embedding these tools into our systems, we enable organizations to:
Model Dependencies: Use DAGs to map workflows, relationships, and data flows with clarity.
Predict and Infer: Leverage Bayesian Networks to perform probabilistic reasoning and uncover likely outcomes in uncertain environments.
Make Data-Driven Decisions: Utilize causal reasoning to guide complex decision-making with confidence.

By bridging
ontologies, data engineering and data science principles with advanced AI frameworks, we unlock groundbreaking possibilities in research. These interconnected systems are designed to structure knowledge, predict outcomes, and drive actions, creating an unparalleled foundation for AI-driven solutions.

Interoperability

Creating seamless connections across fragmented data systems, ensuring that knowledge flows freely and meaningfully between domains.

Scalability

Providing tools and frameworks that evolve with the complexity and growth of modern organizations, making knowledge management future-proof.

Transparency

Establishing traceable, ontology-driven structures that bring clarity and accountability to AI systems, addressing critical concerns in compliance and trust.

Our Research Areas

Expanding the Frontiers of Symbolic Ontology-Driven AI

Knowledge Structuring and Interoperability


How: Using ontologies and DAGs to represent knowledge frameworks that connect disparate systems, data silos, and workflows.

Why: This ensures seamless interoperability and provides a unified, structured way to represent and retrieve information.

Impact: Transform siloed information into interconnected, actionable knowledge networks that enable smarter decisions.

Predictive Modeling and Probabilistic Reasoning


How: Leveraging Bayesian Networks to model uncertainty, dependencies, and causal relationships between variables.

Why: To generate dynamic insights that can inform decision-making in complex or unpredictable environments.

Impact: Businesses and researchers can make more informed, data-driven predictions across domains such as market trends, risk analysis, or disease progression.

AI Explainability and Alignment


How: Grounding AI models in formal ontologies and DAG-based workflows to ensure their behavior is explainable, traceable, and logically sound.

Why: Transparency and trust are critical for deploying AI in sensitive areas like healthcare, compliance, and enterprise decision-making.

Impact: Build AI systems that not only perform well but are auditable and aligned with organizational goals and ethical principles.

Enhanced Workflow Modeling


How: Using DAGs to represent complex workflows, dependencies, and sequences of operations in enterprise or research environments.

Why: To optimize processes, reduce inefficiencies, and ensure workflows adapt dynamically to evolving requirements.

Impact: Organizations gain a flexible, scalable framework to streamline operations and allocate resources more effectively.

Causal Inference for Decision Support


How: Combining ontologies with Bayesian Networks to analyze cause-effect relationships within datasets or processes.

Why: To empower users with causal insights that guide strategic decisions and mitigate risks in uncertain contexts.

Impact: Unlock the ability to not just describe or predict outcomes, but also understand the root causes of phenomena.

Real-Time Insights and Automation


How: Connecting DAG-based workflows and Bayesian reasoning systems to real-time data pipelines.

Why: To enable automated, adaptive systems capable of responding to new data and changing conditions with agility.

Impact: Deliver actionable insights in real time, driving automated actions and decisions that keep pace with dynamic environments.

Transforming Research with Interconnected Intelligence

We are connecting Knowledge and AI to transform how we research and innovate

Through these six research areas, NaasAI connects data engineering, data science, ontologies, and AI-powered decision-making, providing the tools and frameworks needed for organizations and researchers to unlock the full potential of their knowledge systems. These innovations empower smarter, faster, and more transparent solutions for the challenges of tomorrow.

Join Our Research Community

We invite researchers, developers, and organizations to join us in advancing ontology-powered AI solutions.
Together, we can develop new ontology assets, expand research applications,
and build a global community dedicated to open, interoperable knowledge systems.

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