The value of ontology, The BPM ontology

It is generally accepted that the creation of added value requires collaboration inside and between organizations. Collaboration requires sharing knowledge (e.g., a shared understanding of business processes) between trading partners and between colleagues. It is on the (unique) knowledge that is shared between and created by colleagues that organizations build their competitive advantage. To take full advantage of this knowledge, it should be disseminated as widely as possible within an organization. Nonaka distinguished tacit knowledge, which is personal, context specific, and not so easy to communicate (e.g., intuitions, unarticulated mental models, embodied technological skills), from explicit knowledge, which is meaningful information articulated in clear language, including numbers and diagrams. Tacit knowledge can be disseminated through socialization (e.g., face-to-face communication, sharing experiences), which implies a reduced dissemination speed, or can be externalized , which is the conversion of tacit into explicit knowledge. Although explicit knowledge can take many forms (e.g., business (process) models, manuals), this chapter focuses on ontologies, which are versatile knowledge artifacts created through externalization, with the power to fuel Nonaka’s knowledge spiral. Nonaka’s knowledge spiral visualizes how a body of unique corporate knowledge, and hence a competitive advantage, is developed through a collaborative and iterative knowledge creation process that involves iterative cycles of externalization, combination, and internalization. When corporate knowledge is documented with ontology, a knowledge spiral leads to ontology evolution

Ambientes personalizados de e-learning: considerando os contextos dos alunos

A personalização em sistemas de e-learning é fundamental, uma vez que esses são utilizados por uma grande variedade de alunos, com características diferentes. Há várias abordagens que visam personalizar ambientes e- learning. No entanto, esses se concentram principalmen- te na tecnologia e / ou em detalhes da rede, sem levar em consideração os aspectos contextuais. Eles consideram apenas uma versão limitada do contexto, proporcionando personalização. Em nosso trabalho, o objetivo é melhorar a personalização do ambiente de aprendizagem e-learning, fazendo uso de uma melhor compreensão e modelagem do contexto educacional e tecnológico do usuário, utilizando ontologias. Mostramos um exemplo do uso da nossa pro- posta no sistema AdaptWeb, na qual o conteúdo e as re- comendações de navegação fornecidas dependem do con- texto do aluno

Methodology for The Development of an Ontology Network on The Brazilian National System for the Evaluation of higher Education (OntoSINAES)

Ontologies occupy a central position in any conceptual model of the Semantic Web, aiming fundamentally to add explicit semantics to the contents available in the Web. In the domain of Brazilian higher education, especially with regard to the National System for the Evaluation of Higher Education (SINAES), still lacks a reference ontology that can provide a basic conceptualization common to the different stakeholders of the domain. In this work we discuss the role of an ontology network developed with the purpose of improving the quality of the data produced by the different actors, institutions and systems within the domain of SINAES, in addition to facilitating their publication as open and connected data. In particular, we highlight the importance of the NeOn methodology to be followed during the development of an ontology network, demonstrating its role in defining the life cycle and in the articulation of the various processes and activities in the OntoSINAES ontological network development process

Construção de uma ontologia de referência para o domínio da HIV/aids

O uso da Tecnologia da Informação está presente nos mais diversos domínios, inclusive no da saúde, ao utilizar várias metodologias e ferramentas computacionais. O objetivo deste artigo é apresentar o modelo conceitual baseado em ontologia sobre o domínio HIV/aids denominado OntoHI. No processo para desenvolver a OntoHI adotam-se a metodologia SABiO e a ontologia de fundamentação UFO, além do conhecimento de especialistas da área da saúde, o que garante a representação da realidade. Artefatos da ontologia aqui apresentados: representação gráfica, glossário de termos, questões de competência. O controle de qualidade se dá através dos processos de validação e verificação das questões de competências. A OntoHI possibilita a integração com representações de outros domínios. Pode ser utilizado como artefato para a construção de ferramentas computacionais, principalmente sistemas de informações e aplicativos móveis para acompanhar o tratamento de pacientes, além de poder ser expandida para se adaptar a novas situações

The OntoREA Accounting Model: Ontology-based Modeling of the Accounting Domain

McCarthy developed a framework for modeling the economic rationale of different business transactions along the enterprise value chain described in his seminal article “The REA Accounting Model – A Generalized Framework for Accounting Systems in a Shared Data Environment” Originally, the REA accounting model was specified in the entity-relationship (ER) language. Later on other languages – especially in form of generic data models and UML class models (UML language) – were used. Recently, the OntoUML language was developed by Guizzardi and used by Gailly et al. for a metaphysical reengineering of the REA enterprise ontology. Although the REA accounting model originally addressed the accounting domain, it most successfuly is applied as a reference framework for the conceptual modeling of enterprise systems. The primary research objective of this article is to anchor the REA-based models more deeply in the accounting domain. In order to achieve this objective, essential primitives of the REA model are identified and conceptualized in the OntoUML language within the Asset Liability Equity (ALE) context of the traditional ALE accounting domain

Comparing traditional conceptual modeling with ontology-driven conceptual modeling: An empirical study

[EN] This paper conducts an empirical study that explores the differences between adopting a traditional conceptual modeling (TCM) technique and an ontology-driven conceptual modeling (ODCM) technique with the objective to understand and identify in which modeling situations an ODCM technique can prove beneficial compared to a TCM technique. More specifically, we asked ourselves if there exist any meaningful differences in the resulting conceptual model and the effort spent to create such model between novice modelers trained in an ontology-driven conceptual modeling technique and novice modelers trained in a traditional conceptual modeling technique. To answer this question, we discuss previous empirical research efforts and distill these efforts into two hypotheses. Next, these hypotheses are tested in a rigorously developed experiment, where a total of 100 students from two different Universities participated. The findings of our empirical study confirm that there do exist meaningful differences between adopting the two techniques. We observed that novice modelers applying the ODCM technique arrived at higher quality models compared to novice modelers applying the TCM technique. More specifically, the results of the empirical study demonstrated that it is advantageous to apply an ODCM technique over an TCM when having to model the more challenging and advanced facets of a certain domain or scenario. Moreover, we also did not find any significant difference in effort between applying these two techniques. Finally, we specified our results in three findings that aim to clarify the obtained results. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.This research has been funded by the Ghent University Special Research Fund (BOF 01N02014) and the National Bank of Belgium.Verdonck, M.; Gailly, F.; Pergl, R.; Guizzardi, G.; Franco Martins, B.; Pastor López, O. (2019). Comparing traditional conceptual modeling with ontology-driven conceptual modeling: An empirical study. Information Systems. 81:92-103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.is.2018.11.009S921038

Using structured analysis and design technique (SADT) for simulation conceptual modelling

Conceptual Modelling (CM) has received little attention in the area of Modelling and Simulation (M&S) and more specifically in Discrete Event Simulation (DES). It is widely agreed that CM is least understood despite its importance. This is however, not the case in other fields of science and engineering (especially, computer science, systems engineering and software engineering). In Computer Science (CS) alone, CM has been extensively used for requirements specification and some well-established methods are in practice. The aim of the thesis is to propose a CM framework based on the principles of software engineering and CS. The development of the framework is adapted from a well-known software engineering method called Structured Analysis and Design Technique (SADT), hence it is called SADT CM. It is argued that by adapting approaches from CS, similar benefits can be achieved in terms of formality, understanding, communication and quality. A comprehensive cross-disciplinary review of CM in CS and M&S is undertaken, which highlights the dearth of standards within M&S CM when compared to CS. Three important sub-fields of CS are considered for this purpose namely, information systems, databases and software engineering. The review identifies two potential methods that could be adopted for developing a M&S CM framework. The first method called PREView was found unsuitable for M&S CM in DES domain. Hence, the thesis concentrates on developing the framework based on SADT. The SADT CM framework is evaluated on three-in depth test cases that investigate the feasibility of the approach. The study also contributes to the literature by conducting a usability test of the CM framework in an experimental setting. A comprehensive user-guide has also been developed as part of the research for users to follow the framewor

Designing a visual grammar to enable more effective stakeholder participation in scoping organizational change: a physics of notations approach

Successful organization change depends on effectively engaging impacted stakeholders early in the change process so that change leaders and stakeholders have a common understanding of the scope, benefits, and risks of the change. However, communicating a succinct and holistic view of the change and gaining shared understanding on what needs to change can be challenging. The use of sequential written communication and ad hoc graphics imposes a high cognitive load on stakeholders. This results in reluctance or inability for stakeholders to engage when their availability and mental resources are constrained due to operational demands. This research explores the design of a conceptual modeling grammar that generates single page, intuitive diagrams to reduce the cognitive load for stakeholders in understanding and defining the scope of organizational change. We first developed a domain ontology and a grammar based on theory. We then used the action design research approach to test and refine the grammar through three interventions in service delivery change in healthcare organizations. In each intervention we were able to overcome existing stakeholder engagement challenges and enhance stakeholder understanding of the scope of change being undertaken