Software for management of knowledge organization systems

Author
Affiliation

Jakob Voß

Verbundzentrale des GBV (VZG)

Published

July 1, 2025

Other Formats

The terminology registry BARTOC collects information about all kinds of knowledge organization systems (KOS) such as controlled vocabularies, classifications, ontologies, and other semantic artifacts. This report summarizes information about software for KOS management.

Scope

This report is limited to specialized KOS software for editing, vizualizing and/or analyzing terminologies. The term “terminology” in this document is used as synonym for all kinds of KOS. Software is excluded if:

  • it is not aimed at KOS management in particular but more generic software such as database management systems, content management systems and text editors,
  • it is more specific software, restricted to a limited type of KOS, such software for linguistic terminology management and identifier systems,
  • it cannot be used as stand-alone application, like programming libraries, and hosted services.

Software for ontology alignment is only included if it is more then a research prototype and if we managed to get it running. See Bergman (2018) for a comprehensive list of software in this category. The Ontology Alignment Evaluation Initiative (OAEI) motivates the creation of tools for automated ontology alignment.

KOS software

This report includes 71 instances of KOS software so far. The list is managed in a JSON file as array of CodeMeta records with fields as described below. Applications without license or repository are closed source. Deprecated applications are included for historical reference.

Table 1
name system edit api languages license repository update category
Semantic MediaWiki Web PHP GPL github 2025 SoftwareImage, editor
Wikibase Web PHP GPL wikimedia 2025 ServerApplication, database, editor
TemaTres Web PHP GPL github 2025 ServerApplication, editor
iQvoc Web Ruby Apache github 2025 SoftwareImage, WebApplication, editor
VocBench Web Java, JavaScript BSD bitbucket 2025 WebApplication, editor
Skosmos Web - PHP MIT github 2025 WebApplication, viewer
Cocoda Web - JavaScript MIT github 2025 WebApplication, mapping editor
MSCR Web Java MIT github 2025 WebApplication, WebAPI, mapping editor
JSKOS Server Web JavaScript MIT github 2025 ServerApplication, WebAPI, database
SkoHub Vocabs Web JavaScript Apache github 2025 WebApplication, SoftwareImage, viewer
OpenTheso Web Java GPL github 2025 SoftwareImage, WebApplication, ServerApplication, WebAPI, editor
Ontology Lookup Service (OLS) Web - JavaScript, Java Apache github 2025 ServerApplication, WebAPI, WebApplication, SoftwareImage, viewer
OntoPortal Alliance Web - Ruby BSD github 2025 ServerApplication, WebAPI, WebApplication, SoftwareImage, SoftwarePackage, viewer
ShowVoc Web - - JavaScript BSD bitbucket 2025 WebApplication, viewer
voc4cat-tool CLI, GitHub, Excel - - Python BSD github 2025 CommandLineApplication, converter
VocExcel Excel, CLI - - Python BSD github 2025 CommandLineApplication, converter
Protégé JVM - Java BSD github 2025 DesktopApplication, editor
jskos-cli CLI - - JavaScript MIT github 2025 CommandLineApplication, converter, validator
TS4NFDI API Gateway Web - Java, JavaScript MIT github 2025 WebAPI, SoftwarePackage, viewer, converter
jskos-proxy Web - JavaScript MIT github 2025 WebAPI, SoftwareImage, viewer, converter
sssom-py CLI - - Python MIT github 2025 CommandLineApplication, converter
sssom-java CLI - - Java GPL github 2025 CommandLineApplication, converter
sssom-js CLI - - JavaScript MIT github 2025 CommandLineApplication, converter
Network of Terms Web - Typescript EUPL github 2025 WebAPI, SoftwareImage, converter
TerminoloGit Web, git - - Python GPL gitlab 2025 WebApplication, ServerApplication, converter
Chowlk Web - - Python Apache github 2025 WebApplication, WebAPI, SoftwareImage, CommandLineApplication, converter
Ontology Development Kit CLI - - Python BSD github 2025 CommandLineApplication, SoftwareImage, converter, validator
O'FAIRe Web - Java MIT github 2025 WebApplication, WebAPI, ServerApplication, validator
EVOKS Web - Python MIT github 2025 SoftwareImage, CommandLineApplication, editor, converter
OOPS! Web - - Java ? github 2025 WebApplication, CommandLineApplication, viewer
WIDOCO JVM - - JavaScript, Java Apache github 2025 CommandLineApplication, SoftwareImage, viewer
FOOPS! Web - - Java, JavaScript Apache github 2025 WebApplication, CommandLineApplication, validator
Jekyll RDF Web - Ruby MIT github 2024 CommandLineApplication, SoftwareImage, viewer
Atramhasis Web Python GPL github 2024 WebApplication, editor
Snowstorm Web - Java Apache github 2024 WebAPI, SoftwareImage, ServerApplication, viewer
OnToology Web, git - - Python Apache github 2024 WebApplication, viewer, validator
SkoHub Shapes RDF - - SHACL ? github 2024 SoftwareImage, validator
OxO Web - JavaScript Apache github 2024 WebApplication, WebAPI, SoftwareImage, ServerApplication, viewer
Onto4ALL Editor Web - JavaScript, PHP Apache github 2024 WebApplication, ServerApplication, editor
VocPrez Web - Python GPL github 2024 WebApplication, WebAPI, SoftwareImage, viewer
qSKOS CLI - Java GPL github 2024 CommandLineApplication, validator
VocPub Profile RDF - - SHACL CC github 2024 SoftwareLibrary, validator
Vocabseditor Web Python MIT github 2024 WebApplication, WebAPI, SoftwareImage, ServerApplication, editor
ODM2 Controlled Vocabularies Web Python BSD github 2024 WebApplication, WebAPI, editor
Neologism Web JavaScript MIT github 2023 WebApplication, WebAPI, SoftwareImage, ServerApplication, editor
Django Controlled Vocabularies Web Python BSD github 2023 SoftwareLibrary, CommandLineApplication, editor
Web Protégé Web - Java BSD github 2023 WebApplication, WebAPI, SoftwareImage, ServerApplication, editor
Alignment API and Alignment Server CLI - Java GPL inria 2023 CommandLineApplication, WebAPI, ServerApplication, database
Amalgame Web - prolog BSD github 2023 WebApplication, SoftwareImage, SoftwarePackage, mapping editor
Wandora JVM - Java GPL github 2023 WebApplication, editor
Ginco Web Java GPL github 2022 WebApplication, WebAPI, ServerApplication, editor
SKOSjs Web - JavaScript Apache github 2022 WebApplication, editor
WebVOWL Web - - JavaScript MIT github 2022 WebApplication, SoftwareImage, viewer
VoCol Web - JavaScript MIT github 2021 WebApplication, SoftwareImage, ServerApplication, editor
mc2skos CLI - Python Unlicense github 2021 CommandLineApplication, converter
Skosify CLI - Python MIT github 2021 CommandLineApplication, converter, validator
Themis Web - Java Apache github 2021 WebApplication, WebAPI, SoftwareImage, CommandLineApplication, validator
LODE Web - Java ISC github 2020 SoftwareImage, ServerApplication, viewer
OpenSKOS Web - PHP GPL github 2020 WebApplication, WebAPI, SoftwareImage, ServerApplication, viewer, editor
SISSVoc Web - XSLT Apache github 2019 WebApplication, WebAPI, SoftwareImage, viewer
OntoBee Web - PHP, JavaScript Apache github 2018 WebApplication, WebAPI, ServerApplication, viewer
SKOS Play Web - - Java CC bitbucket 2018 WebApplication, CommandLineApplication, viewer, converter
SKOS Editor Web Java LGPL github 2016 WebApplication, WebAPI, ServerApplication, editor
HIVE Vocabulary Server Web - Java BSD github 2015 WebApplication, ServerApplication, viewer
COMA Web - Java AGPL sourceforge 2013 DesktopApplication, mapping editor, viewer
ASKOSI Web - - Java GPL askosi 2011 WebApplication, WebAPI, ServerApplication, viewer
THManager JVM - Java LGPL sourceforge 2006 DesktopApplication, editor
OntoServer Web - - WebAPI, ServerApplication, viewer
PoolParty Thesaurus Server Web - - WebApplication, WebAPI, ServerApplication, editor
Lexasaurus Web - - WebApplication, WebAPI, SoftwarePackage, ServerApplication, editor
Fiblio Web - - - WebApplication, ServerApplication, SoftwarePackage, editor

Please open an issue if some relevant software is missing or data seems invalid!

Metadata

Machine-readable description of the software is based on CodeMeta plus custom fields api and edit.

Field Purpose
name name with link to homepage
operatingSystem operating system or similar dependency (Web, CLI…)
api whether a web service or similar API is provided to connect to
edit whether vocabularies can be modified with the software
programmingLanguage programming language(s)
license license of the software (if free software)
codeRepository source Code repository (if open source)
dateModified year of most recent update
applicationSubCategory type of KOS software

KOS software categories

  • viewer: to display terminologies (23)
  • editor: to create and modify terminologies (24)
  • mapping editor: to create and modify mappings/alignments (3)
  • converter: to convert from one format into another (15)
  • validator: to check terminologies (10)
  • database: to store terminologies (3)

Acknowledgements

Contributions to this report or to its predecessors have been provided by Adrian Pohl, Antoine Isaac, David Linke, Eugene Morozov, Koen Van Daele, Matthias Löbe, Monty Bitto, Roman Baum, Susanne Arndt, and possibly others.

References

Bergman, Michael K. 2018. “30 Active Ontology Alignment Tools.” https://www.mkbergman.com/2129/30-active-ontology-alignment-tools/.
Miles, Alistair, and Sean Bechhofer. 2009. “W3C SKOS Implementation Report,” May. https://www.w3.org/2006/07/SWD/SKOS/reference/20090315/implementation.html.
Montoro, Maria Pia. 2018. “Terminology Management Systems.” https://recremisi.blogspot.com/p/acrolinxterminology-lifecycle.html.
Voß, Jakob. 2016a. “Coli-Conc Technical Report 2: Open Source KOS Software,” March. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.48227.
———. 2016b. “Open Source Web Applications for Knowledge Organization Systems,” August. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.61262.