Bridging property graphs and knowledge graphs: a category theory approach to interoperable graph transformation
2026 (English) In: Knowledge Graphs and Semantic Web 7th International Conference KGSWC 2025: proceedings / [ed] Fernando Ortiz-Rodriguez; Sanju Tiwari; Thomas Riechert; Edgard Marx, Cham, 2026, p. 161-177Conference paper, Published paper (Refereed)
Abstract [en]
Property graphs and knowledge graphs are two dominant paradigms for graph-based data modeling, yet they remain structurally and semantically incompatible. Property graphs support richly attributed relationships but lack formal semantics and reasoning. Knowledge graphs, grounded in RDF, RDFS, and OWL, enable inference and interoperability but cannot natively represent edge metadata. This paper introduces a categorical framework that bridges this gap through a functorial transformation from typed, attributed property graphs to RDF-star knowledge graphs enriched with OWL/RDFS semantics. The transformation preserves edge attributes using quoted triples, consolidates repeated relationships, and ensures semantic fidelity through alignment functions. This formalization provides a foundation for integrating the structural expressiveness of property graphs with the logical rigor of knowledge graphs, paving the way for interoperable, ontology-aware graph systems that combine flexible data modeling with semantic reasoning.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages Cham, 2026. p. 161-177
Series
Lecture Notes in Computer Science, ISSN 0302-9743, E-ISSN 1611-3349 ; 16373
Keywords [en]
Category Theory, Functorial Semantics, Graph Interoperability, Knowledge Graphs, Property Graphs, Web Semantic
National Category
Computer Sciences Discrete Mathematics
Identifiers URN: urn:nbn:se:umu:diva-248486 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-13109-6_12 Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105026451259 ISBN: 9783032131089 (print) ISBN: 9783032131096 (electronic) OAI: oai:DiVA.org:umu-248486 DiVA, id: diva2:2035919
Conference 7th International Conference on Knowledge Graphs and Semantic Web, Leipzig, Germany, November 26–28, 2025
2026-02-052026-02-052026-02-05 Bibliographically approved