Semi-Automated Development of Conceptual Models from Natural Language Text

The process of converting natural language specifications into conceptual models requires detailed analysis of natural language text, and designers frequently make mistakes when undertaking this transformation manually. Although many approaches have been used to help designers translate natural language text into conceptual models, each approach has its limitations. One of the main limitations is the lack of a domain-independent ontology that can be used as a repository for entities and relationships, thus guiding the transition from natural language processing into a conceptual model. Such an ontology is not currently available because it would be very difficult and time consuming to produce. In this thesis, a semi-automated system for mapping natural language text into conceptual models is proposed. The model, which is called SACMES, combines a linguistic approach with an ontological approach and human intervention to achieve the task. The model learns from the natural language specifications that it processes, and stores the information that is learnt in a conceptual model ontology and a user history knowledge database. It then uses the stored information to improve performance and reduce the need for human intervention. The evaluation conducted on SACMES demonstrates that (1) designers’ creation of conceptual models is improved when using the system comparing with not using any system, and that (2) the performance of the system is improved by processing more natural language requirements, and thus, the need for human intervention has decreased. However, these advantages may be improved further through development of the learning and retrieval techniques used by the system

Domain-specific Adaptation of Requirements Engineering Methods

[Context and motivation] Requirements are fundamental for the development of softwarebased information systems (ISs). Stakeholder needs for such ISs are documented as requirements following a requirements engineering (RE) method. Requirements are specific to the application domain for which ISs are developed and in which they are used. A system domain is represented by ISs that share a minimal set of common requirements to solve similar domain independent problems. Both domain-specific aspects need to be considered explicitly during the specification of ISs. Generic RE methods can be used in different domains, but do not consider explicitly domain-specific details. A solution to this problem is the domain-specific adaptation of RE methods. Domain-specific modeling languages (DSMLs) allow conceptual modeling in specific system domains. Domain ontologies provide formalized domain knowledge of an application domain. [Objectives] The objective of this thesis is to investigate, through the example of the task-oriented RE conceptual framework TORE, (1) how a generic RE method can be adapted to consider system domain-specifics with the use of a DSML, and (2) how a generic RE method can be adapted to use an application domain ontology. For the system domain adaptation, we use a personal decision support system (PDSS). The PDSS supports a Chief Information Officer (CIO) in decision-making with tasks in information management (IM). For the adaptation to the application domain, we use IM in hospitals represented by the semantic network of information management in hospitals (SNIK) domain ontology. [Contributions:] The results of this investigation consist of two method adaptations: first, the system domain-specific DsTORE, and second, the application domain-specific TOREOnto. The contributions of the system domain-specific adaptation DsTORE are fourfold. First, an as-is domain study provides details about the information management department of a specific hospital in order to understand the organizational context for the PDSS that will be employed. Second, an exploratory case study shows the extent of task-oriented requirements engineering (TORE) to support the RE specification of a PDSS. Third, the design of DsTORE provides the system domain-specific adaptation of TORE to support the specification of PDSS. Fourth, a case study documents the evaluation of DsTORE. The application domain-specific adaptation TOREOnto consists of three contributions. First, a literature review provides the state of the art regarding the use of domain ontologies in RE, describing nine different usage scenarios of domain ontologies to improve the quality of requirements. Second, the design of TOREOnto provides the application domain-specific adaptation to support the improvement of requirements quality. Third, a case study shows the retrospective evaluation of TOREOnto with RE artifacts created in this thesis. [Methods:] The overall research method of this thesis is Design Science according to Wieringa. The problem investigation of domain ontology usage in RE is based on a systematic literature review by Kitchenham and Charters

Legal Knowledge and Information Systems - JURIX 2017: The Thirtieth Annual Conference

The proceedings of the 30th International Conference on Legal Knowledge and Information Systems – JURIX 2017. For three decades, the JURIX conferences have been held under the auspices of the Dutch Foundation for Legal Knowledge Based Systems (www.jurix.nl). In the time, it has become a European conference in terms of the diverse venues throughout Europe and the nationalities of participants

Second Generation General System Theory: Perspectives in Philosophy and Approaches in Complex Systems

Following the classical work of Norbert Wiener, Ross Ashby, Ludwig von Bertalanffy and many others, the concept of System has been elaborated in different disciplinary fields, allowing interdisciplinary approaches in areas such as Physics, Biology, Chemistry, Cognitive Science, Economics, Engineering, Social Sciences, Mathematics, Medicine, Artificial Intelligence, and Philosophy. The new challenge of Complexity and Emergence has made the concept of System even more relevant to the study of problems with high contextuality. This Special Issue focuses on the nature of new problems arising from the study and modelling of complexity, their eventual common aspects, properties and approaches—already partially considered by different disciplines—as well as focusing on new, possibly unitary, theoretical frameworks. This Special Issue aims to introduce fresh impetus into systems research when the possible detection and correction of mistakes require the development of new knowledge. This book contains contributions presenting new approaches and results, problems and proposals. The context is an interdisciplinary framework dealing, in order, with electronic engineering problems; the problem of the observer; transdisciplinarity; problems of organised complexity; theoretical incompleteness; design of digital systems in a user-centred way; reaction networks as a framework for systems modelling; emergence of a stable system in reaction networks; emergence at the fundamental systems level; behavioural realization of memoryless functions