Architectures for Semantic Integration

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Visualizing Large Business Process Models: Challenges, Techniques, Applications

Large process models may comprise hundreds or thousands of process elements, like activities, gateways, and data objects. Presenting such process models to users and enabling them to interact with these models constitute crucial tasks of any process-aware information systems (PAISs). Existing PAISs, however, neither provide adequate techniques for visualizing and abstracting process models nor for interacting with them. In particular, PAISs do not provide tailored process visualizations as needed in complex application environments. This paper presents examples of large process models and discusses some of the challenges to be tackled when visualizing and abstracting respective models. Further, it presents a comprehensive framework that allows for personalized process model visualizations, which can be tailored to the specific needs of the different user groups. First, process model complexity can be reduced by abstracting the models, i.e., by eliminating or aggregating process elements not relevant in the given visualization context. Second, the appearance of process elements can be customized independent of the process modeling language used. Third, different visualization formats (e.g., process diagrams, process forms, and process trees) are supported. Finally, it will be discussed how tailored visualizations of process models may serve as basis for changing and evolving process models at a high level of abstraction

A Model-Based Approach Towards the Conceptualization of Digital Twins: The Case of the EU-Project COGITO

In agile business ecosystems, digitalization is a key enabler for agility and flexibility. However, digital transformation is often challenging for instance due to unclear definitions and a lack of problem understanding. In this work this complexity is addressed with a model-based approach for conceptualizing digitalization and related meta modelling activities to enable the conceptual integration of diverse concepts. Existing modelling approaches – BPMN and ArchiMate – are leveraged with domain specific considerations that are relevant for the digitalization. The construction use case from the European project COGITO serves as a foundation for ideation and first requirements engineering. Physical experiments in the OMiLAB Innovation Environment are used as an experimental method towards identifying relevant digital twinning concepts, while modelling methods can be seen as an integration platform for physical and digital elements. Key digitalization aspects towards digital twinning are discussed and conceptualized in a meta model

Information Architecture for Organizations: An Ontological Approach

In the scope of corporations, information and knowledge management are essential practices that are carried out through information systems. In this chapter, we discuss the foundations of an ontological-based architecture for organizing information and knowledge within corporations. Our research focus on three main efforts: (i) to shed some light on the ontological status of corporations, (ii) to understand the relations between corporate units, and (iii) to approach the duties that corporations have to manage. After presenting background theories, we analyze the corporation through two dimensions, namely, a descriptive and a normative. While the former approaches the structure of the corporation from the point of view of its units, the latter approaches it from the point of view of duties and obligations. The descriptive side of our investigation is conducted through principles of top-level formal ontologies; the normative side is addressed through the so-called social ontology. The relevance of developing such analysis rests on the need of a better understanding of corporations, its structures, and its activities. Such insight can provide a formal framework suitable to be applied in information systems, working in the context of modern technologies like the Semantic Web

Digitization Principles for Application Scenarios towards Digital Twins of Organizations

In today's agile business ecosystems, digital twins (DTs) and especially digital twins of organizations (DTOs) allow for adaption through dynamically evolving models depicting organizational aspects such as production processes, data flows, human actors and interactions. A hybrid modelling approach is utilized, as the establishment of such DTOs either considered on their own or as part of a DT ecosystem is not trivial. Meta modelling and meta model merging patterns are applied to integrate heterogeneous perspectives and domain models. Two main research questions with respect to digitization towards digital twinning are discussed: First, which digitization principles/patterns are appropriate for DTOs? Patterns ranging from 'counting' to 'estimation' are introduced to fill digital models serving as a foundation for DTs with data. As a starting point, potential digitization principles for relevant characteristics of BPMN ­ 'Modelling Method for Business Processes' and KPI ­ 'Modelling Method for Key Performance Indicators' models are considered. Second, which principle/pattern is appropriate for which organizational structure? In order to ease the selection of suitable patterns for specific application scenarios, those will be associated with organizational structures like but not limited to construction processes, assembly processes or production processes each of them with domain-specific characteristics. A prototype consisting of three phases ­ use case requirements collection, model design and digitization assistance ­ builds upon (a) physical experimentations in the OMiLAB Innovation Corner using physical assets such as edge devices or sensors, (b) domain specific services considering software related aspects such as timeseries databases or simulation algorithms, and (c) modelling methods enabling the integration of physical and digital components. The paint production pilot from the European Change2Twin project serves as an application scenario evaluation use case. A notion of what the use case company intends to achieve by digital twinning and what is possible by introducing digital services is touched. The outlook presents how artificial intelligence may be introduced for the prototype to leverage the paint production use case and further application scenarios

The Proviado Access Control Model for Business Process Monitoring Components

Integrated process support is highly desirable in environments where data related to a particular business process are scattered over distributed, heterogeneous information systems. A business process monitoring component is a much-needed module in order to provide an integrated view on all these process data. Regarding process visualization and process data integration, access control (AC) issues are very important but also quite complex to be addressed. A major problem arises from the fact that the involved information systems are usually based on heterogeneous AC components. For several reasons, the only feasible way to tackle the problem of AC at the process monitoring level is to define access rights for the process monitoring component, hence getting rid of the burden to map access rights from the information system level. This paper presents the Proviado process visualization framework and discusses requirements for AC in process monitoring, which we derived from our case studies in the automotive domain. It then presents alternative approaches for AC: the view-based and the object-based approach. The latter is retained, and a core AC model is proposed for the definition of access rights that meet the derived requirements. AC mechanisms provided within the core model are key ingredients for the definition of model extensions

A process model template for the support of IT-based logistics planning in the context of Chinese ports

In den letzten 10 Jahren hat die Verwaltung chinesischer Häfen große Fortschritte bei IT-Systemen gemacht. Aber im Vergleich zu anderen Industrieländern sind chinesische Häfen in Bereichen wie Design, Entwicklung und Implmentierung des IT-Systems noch am Anfang. Die meisten Probleme sind, dass das aktuelle IT-System nicht genügende Austausch von Informationen und Kommunikationsmöglichkeiten liefern kann. Die Situation lässt sich durch isolierte Informatiosinseln, Redudanz der Systemstruktur, ineffiziente Entwicklung und in einigen Fällen sogar fehleranfällige Entwicklung kennzeichnen. In dieser Magisterarbeit wurde ein neues „Design-Prozess-Modell“ für die logische Modellierung des gesamten Informationssystems in chinesischen Häfen entworfen. Das „Design-Prozess-Modell“ gilt nicht nur als ein Standard-Prozess-Modell für die Unternehmen, das IT-System zu entwerfen, es ist sondern auch eine Sammelung von einigen Methoden, Mustern und Regeln für die Designer, das Design-Konzept anzuwenden. Der Hauptzweck des geplanten "Design-Prozess-Modell" besteht darin, ein kohärenteres, besser strukturiertes und dokumentiertes System für die Entwicklung des IT-Systems zur Verfügung zu stellen und logische Beziehungen und Zusammenhänge zwischen den verschiedenen Modellen zu gewährleist. Folgende Schritten sollen im „Design Process Model“ inkludiert werden. 1) Identifikation der eigneten Modelle für Entwicklung des IT Systems 2) Spezifikation von transformation rules zwischen unterschiedliche modele. 3) Semantik, Syntax und Notifikation des Vorgangsmodels zu formulieren. 4) Entwicklung der eigneten “Software Development Management Approach“.In recent years, Chinese harbor administrations have made great progress in IT development. But in the aspect of design, development and implementation, China is still in its infancy compared with other industrialized countries. Most problematic is that current information systems cannot provide enough information sharing and communication capabilities. The situation is best characterized by isolated information islands, system structure redundancies, and inefficient development and in some cases even failure-prone development. In this thesis, a tailored “design process model” is utilized for the logical modeling of more holistic information systems in Chinese harbors. The “design process model” is not only envisaged to serve as a standard process model to design the IT system in the enterprise, but also a collection of some methods, patterns and rules to help designers to finish the design concept. It does therefore go beyond a model and does incorporate some components of a framework. The main purpose of the planned “design process model” is to create more coherent and better-structured and documented system models for IT system development automatically and to ensure logical relationships and coherences between different models. To build the model the approach has to include the following steps: 1) Identification of a suitable model for developing IT systems 2) Specification of transformation rules between the different models. 3) Formulation of Semantics, syntax and notification for the process model. 4) Development of a sustainable software development management approach