Complex adaptive systems based data integration : theory and applications

Data Definition Languages (DDLs) have been created and used to represent data in programming languages and in database dictionaries. This representation includes descriptions in the form of data fields and relations in the form of a hierarchy, with the common exception of relational databases where relations are flat. Network computing created an environment that enables relatively easy and inexpensive exchange of data. What followed was the creation of new DDLs claiming better support for automatic data integration. It is uncertain from the literature if any real progress has been made toward achieving an ideal state or limit condition of automatic data integration. This research asserts that difficulties in accomplishing integration are indicative of socio-cultural systems in general and are caused by some measurable attributes common in DDLs. This research’s main contributions are: (1) a theory of data integration requirements to fully support automatic data integration from autonomous heterogeneous data sources; (2) the identification of measurable related abstract attributes (Variety, Tension, and Entropy); (3) the development of tools to measure them. The research uses a multi-theoretic lens to define and articulate these attributes and their measurements. The proposed theory is founded on the Law of Requisite Variety, Information Theory, Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) theory, Sowa’s Meaning Preservation framework and Zipf distributions of words and meanings. Using the theory, the attributes, and their measures, this research proposes a framework for objectively evaluating the suitability of any data definition language with respect to degrees of automatic data integration. This research uses thirteen data structures constructed with various DDLs from the 1960\u27s to date. No DDL examined (and therefore no DDL similar to those examined) is designed to satisfy the law of requisite variety. No DDL examined is designed to support CAS evolutionary processes that could result in fully automated integration of heterogeneous data sources. There is no significant difference in measures of Variety, Tension, and Entropy among DDLs investigated in this research. A direction to overcome the common limitations discovered in this research is suggested and tested by proposing GlossoMote, a theoretical mathematically sound description language that satisfies the data integration theory requirements. The DDL, named GlossoMote, is not merely a new syntax, it is a drastic departure from existing DDL constructs. The feasibility of the approach is demonstrated with a small scale experiment and evaluated using the proposed assessment framework and other means. The promising results require additional research to evaluate GlossoMote’s approach commercial use potential

Spatial ontologies for architectural heritage

Informatics and artificial intelligence have generated new requirements for digital archiving, information, and documentation. Semantic interoperability has become fundamental for the management and sharing of information. The constraints to data interpretation enable both database interoperability, for data and schemas sharing and reuse, and information retrieval in large datasets. Another challenging issue is the exploitation of automated reasoning possibilities. The solution is the use of domain ontologies as a reference for data modelling in information systems. The architectural heritage (AH) domain is considered in this thesis. The documentation in this field, particularly complex and multifaceted, is well-known to be critical for the preservation, knowledge, and promotion of the monuments. For these reasons, digital inventories, also exploiting standards and new semantic technologies, are developed by international organisations (Getty Institute, ONU, European Union). Geometric and geographic information is essential part of a monument. It is composed by a number of aspects (spatial, topological, and mereological relations; accuracy; multi-scale representation; time; etc.). Currently, geomatics permits the obtaining of very accurate and dense 3D models (possibly enriched with textures) and derived products, in both raster and vector format. Many standards were published for the geographic field or in the cultural heritage domain. However, the first ones are limited in the foreseen representation scales (the maximum is achieved by OGC CityGML), and the semantic values do not consider the full semantic richness of AH. The second ones (especially the core ontology CIDOC – CRM, the Conceptual Reference Model of the Documentation Commettee of the International Council of Museums) were employed to document museums’ objects. Even if it was recently extended to standing buildings and a spatial extension was included, the integration of complex 3D models has not yet been achieved. In this thesis, the aspects (especially spatial issues) to consider in the documentation of monuments are analysed. In the light of them, the OGC CityGML is extended for the management of AH complexity. An approach ‘from the landscape to the detail’ is used, for considering the monument in a wider system, which is essential for analysis and reasoning about such complex objects. An implementation test is conducted on a case study, preferring open source applications

A graphical XML query language based on ORA-SS

Ph.DDOCTOR OF PHILOSOPH

Validation Framework for RDF-based Constraint Languages

In this thesis, a validation framework is introduced that enables to consistently execute RDF-based constraint languages on RDF data and to formulate constraints of any type. The framework reduces the representation of constraints to the absolute minimum, is based on formal logics, consists of a small lightweight vocabulary, and ensures consistency regarding validation results and enables constraint transformations for each constraint type across RDF-based constraint languages

Spatial ontologies for architectural heritage

Informatics and artificial intelligence have generated new requirements for digital archiving, information, and documentation. Semantic interoperability has become fundamental for the management and sharing of information. The constraints to data interpretation enable both database interoperability, for data and schemas sharing and reuse, and information retrieval in large datasets. Another challenging issue is the exploitation of automated reasoning possibilities. The solution is the use of domain ontologies as a reference for data modelling in information systems. The architectural heritage (AH) domain is considered in this thesis. The documentation in this field, particularly complex and multifaceted, is well-known to be critical for the preservation, knowledge, and promotion of the monuments. For these reasons, digital inventories, also exploiting standards and new semantic technologies, are developed by international organisations (Getty Institute, ONU, European Union). Geometric and geographic information is essential part of a monument. It is composed by a number of aspects (spatial, topological, and mereological relations; accuracy; multi-scale representation; time; etc.). Currently, geomatics permits the obtaining of very accurate and dense 3D models (possibly enriched with textures) and derived products, in both raster and vector format. Many standards were published for the geographic field or in the cultural heritage domain. However, the first ones are limited in the foreseen representation scales (the maximum is achieved by OGC CityGML), and the semantic values do not consider the full semantic richness of AH. The second ones (especially the core ontology CIDOC – CRM, the Conceptual Reference Model of the Documentation Commettee of the International Council of Museums) were employed to document museums’ objects. Even if it was recently extended to standing buildings and a spatial extension was included, the integration of complex 3D models has not yet been achieved. In this thesis, the aspects (especially spatial issues) to consider in the documentation of monuments are analysed. In the light of them, the OGC CityGML is extended for the management of AH complexity. An approach ‘from the landscape to the detail’ is used, for considering the monument in a wider system, which is essential for analysis and reasoning about such complex objects. An implementation test is conducted on a case study, preferring open source applications

Migrating relational databases into object-based and XML databases

Rapid changes in information technology, the emergence of object-based and WWW applications, and the interest of organisations in securing benefits from new technologies have made information systems re-engineering in general and database migration in particular an active research area. In order to improve the functionality and performance of existing systems, the re-engineering process requires identifying and understanding all of the components of such systems. An underlying database is one of the most important component of information systems. A considerable body of data is stored in relational databases (RDBs), yet they have limitations to support complex structures and user-defined data types provided by relatively recent databases such as object-based and XML databases. Instead of throwing away the large amount of data stored in RDBs, it is more appropriate to enrich and convert such data to be used by new systems. Most researchers into the migration of RDBs into object-based/XML databases have concentrated on schema translation, accessing and publishing RDB data using newer technology, while few have paid attention to the conversion of data, and the preservation of data semantics, e.g., inheritance and integrity constraints. In addition, existing work does not appear to provide a solution for more than one target database. Thus, research on the migration of RDBs is not fully developed. We propose a solution that offers automatic migration of an RDB as a source into the recent database technologies as targets based on available standards such as ODMG 3.0, SQL4 and XML Schema. A canonical data model (CDM) is proposed to bridge the semantic gap between an RDB and the target databases. The CDM preserves and enhances the metadata of existing RDBs to fit in with the essential characteristics of the target databases. The adoption of standards is essential for increased portability, flexibility and constraints preservation. This thesis contributes a solution for migrating RDBs into object-based and XML databases. The solution takes an existing RDB as input, enriches its metadata representation with the required explicit semantics, and constructs an enhanced relational schema representation (RSR). Based on the RSR, a CDM is generated which is enriched with the RDB's constraints and data semantics that may not have been explicitly expressed in the RDB metadata. The CDM so obtained facilitates both schema translation and data conversion. We design sets of rules for translating the CDM into each of the three target schemas, and provide algorithms for converting RDB data into the target formats based on the CDM. A prototype of the solution has been implemented, which generates the three target databases. Experimental study has been conducted to evaluate the prototype. The experimental results show that the target schemas resulting from the prototype and those generated by existing manual mapping techniques were comparable. We have also shown that the source and target databases were equivalent, and demonstrated that the solution, conceptually and practically, is feasible, efficient and correct

Development of a conceptual graphical user interface framework for the creation of XML metadata for digital archives

This dissertation is motivated by the DFG sponsored Jonas Cohn Archive digitization project at Steinheim-Institut whose aim was to preserve and provide digital access to structured handwritten historical archive material highlighting New Kantian philosophy scattered in the correspondence, diaries and private journals kept by and written to and by Jonas Cohn. The dissertation describes a framework for processing and presenting multi-standard digital archive material. A set of standard markup schema and semantic bibliographic descriptions have been chosen to illustrate the multiple standard and hence semantic heterogeneous digital archiving process. The standards include Text Encoding Initiative (TEI), Metadata Encoding and Transmission Standard (METS) and Metadata Object Description Schema (MODS). The chosen standards best illustrate the structural contrast between the systematic archive, digitized archive and digitized text standards. Furthermore, combined digital preservation and presentation approaches offer not only the digitized texts but also metadata structured variably sized images of the archive documents enabling virtual visualization. State of the art applications focus solely on either one of the structural areas neglecting the compound idea of a virtual digital archive. The content of this work describes the requirements analysis for managing multi-structured and therefore multi-standard digital archival artefacts in textual and image form. In addition to the architecture and design, an infrastructure suitable for processing, managing and presenting such scholarly archives is sought for recognition as a digital framework useful for the preservation and access to digitized cultural resources. The proposed solution therefore includes the instrumentation of a conglomerate of existing and novel XML technology for transformations based in a centralized application. The archive can then be managed via a client-server application thereby focusing archival activities on structured data collection and information preservation illustrated in the dissertation process by the: • Development of a prototype data model allowing the integration of the relevant markup schema • Implementation of a prototype client server application handling archive processing, management and presentation and based on the data model already mentioned • Development and implementation of a role archive access user interface Furthermore as an infrastructural development serving expert archivists from the humanities, the dissertation explores methods of binding the existing XML metadata creation process to other programming languages. In doing so, one opens further for channels simplifying the metadata creation process by integrating the use of graphical user interfaces. To this end the java programming language, its swing and AWT graphical user interface libraries, associated relational persistency and enterprise client server architecture resemble a suitable environment for integrating XML metadata into main stream computing. Hence the implementation of Java XML Data Binding as part of the metadata creation framework is part and parcel of the proposed solution.Diese Arbeit geht hervor aus dem von der DFG geförderten Projekt zu Digitalisierung des Jonas Cohn Archivs im Steinheim-Institut, dessen Ziel es ist, eine strukturierte Auswahl von Handschriften des Philosophen Jonas Cohns in digitaler Form zu bewahren und den Zugang zu ihnen zu erleichtern. Die Dissertation beschreibt ein Rahmenwerk für die digitale Verarbeitung und Präsentation digitalisierter Archivinhalte und ihrer Metadaten, strukturiert anhand von mehr als einem Beschreibungsstandard. Eine Auswahl von Standard Markup Schemata und bibliographisch semantischen Beschreibungen wurde getroffen, um die Problematik darzustellen, die aus der Berücksichtigung mehrerer Standards und damit aus semantischer Heterogenität des Digitalisierungsprozesses entsteht. Diese Auswahl umfasst unter anderem die Text Encoding Initiative (TEI), Metadata Encoding and Transmission Schema (METS) und Metadata Object Description Schema (MODS) als Beispiele für Beschreibungsstandards. Diese Standards sind am besten geeignet, die strukturellen und semantischen Unterschiede zwischen den Standards eines systematisch und semantisch zu digitalisierenden Archivs darzustellen. Zusätzlich verbindet der Ansatz die digitale Bewahrung und Präsentation von digitalisierten Texten und von Metadaten strukturierter Bilder der Archivinhalte. Dies ermöglicht eine virtuelle Präsentation des digitalen Archivs. Eine große Zahl bekannter Digitalisierungsanwendungen folgt nur einer der beiden Strukturierungsziele Bewahrung und Präsentation, wodurch der Ansatz eines vollständig virtuellen digitalen Archivs vernachlässigt wird. Der Schwerpunkt dieser Arbeit ist die Beschreibung einer Managementinfrastruktur für die Erfassung und Auszeichnung von Multi-Standard Metadaten für digitale Handschriftensammlungen. Zusätzlich zu der Architektur und dem Design wird nach einer geeigneten Infrastruktur gesucht für die Erfassung, Verarbeitung und die Präsentation wissenschaftlicher Archive als digitales Rahmenwerk für den Zugang zu und die Bewahrung von Kulturbesitz. Die hier vorgeschlagene Lösung sieht deshalb die Nutzung bestehender und neuer XML Technologien vor, verknüpft in einer zentralen Anwendung. So wird im Rahmen der Dissertation die Strukturierung des Archivs mittels einer Client-Server-Anwendung betrieben und die Bewahrungsmaßnahmen als Prozess herausgearbeitet. Die Arbeit verfolgt mehrere Zielsetzungen: • Die Entwicklung eines prototypischen Datenmodells mit der Einbindung relevanter Markup Schemata • Die Implementierung einer prototypischen Client Server Anwendung für die Bearbeitung, Erfassung und Präsentation der Archive anhand des beschriebenen Datenmodells • Die Entwicklung, Implementierung und Bewertung einer Benutzerschnittstelle für die Interaktion mit dem Rahmenwerk anhand einer Expertenevaluation

GENERIC AND ADAPTIVE METADATA MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK FOR SCIENTIFIC DATA REPOSITORIES

Der rapide technologische Fortschritt hat in verschiedenen Forschungsdisziplinen zu vielfältigen Weiterentwicklungen in Datenakquise und -verarbeitung geführt. Hi- eraus wiederum resultiert ein immenses Wachstum an Daten und Metadaten, gener- iert durch wissenschaftliche Experimente. Unabhängig vom konkreten Forschungs- gebiet ist die wissenschaftliche Praxis immer stärker durch Daten und Metadaten gekennzeichnet. In der Folge intensivieren Universitäten, Forschungsgemeinschaften und Förderagenturen ihre Bemühungen, wissenschaftliche Daten effizient zu sichten, zu speichern und auszuwerten. Die wesentlichen Ziele wissenschaftlicher Daten- Repositorien sind die Etablierung von Langzeitspeicher, der Zugriff auf Daten, die Bereitstellung von Daten für die Wiederverwendung und deren Referenzierung, die Erfassung der Datenquelle zur Reproduzierbarkeit sowie die Bereitstellung von Meta- daten, Anmerkungen oder Verweisen zur Vermittlung domänenspezifischen Wis- sens, das zur Interpretation der Daten notwendig ist. Wissenschaftliche Datenspe- icher sind hochkomplexe Systeme, bestehend aus Elementen aus unterschiedlichen Forschungsfeldern, wie z. B. Algorithmen für Datenkompression und Langzeit- datenarchivierung, Frameworks für das Metadaten- und Annotations-management, Workflow-Provenance und Provenance-Interoperabilität zwischen heterogenen Work- flowsystemen, Autorisierungs und Authentifizierungsinfrastrukturen sowie Visual- isierungswerkzeuge für die Dateninterpretation. Die vorliegende Arbeit beschreibt eine modulare Architektur für ein wis- senschaftliches Datenarchiv, die Forschungsgemeinschaften darin unterstützt, ihre Daten und Metadaten gezielt über den jeweiligen Lebenszyklus hinweg zu orchestri- eren. Diese Architektur besteht aus Komponenten, die vier Forschungsfelder repräsen- tieren. Die erste Komponente ist ein Client zur Datenübertragung (“data transfer client”). Er bietet eine generische Schnittstelle für die Erfassung von Daten und den Zugriff auf Daten aus wissenschaftlichen Datenakquisesystemen. Die zweite Komponente ist das MetaStore-Framework, ein adaptives Metadaten- Management-Framework, das die Handhabung sowohl statischer als auch dynamis- cher Metadatenmodelle ermöglicht. Um beliebige Metadatenschemata behandeln zu können, basiert die Entwicklung des MetaStore-Frameworks auf dem komponen- tenbasierten dynamischen Kompositions-Entwurfsmuster (component-based dynamic composition design pattern). Der MetaStore ist außerdem mit einem Annotations- framework für die Handhabung von dynamischen Metadaten ausgestattet. Die dritte Komponente ist eine Erweiterung des MetaStore-Frameworks zur au- tomatisierten Behandlung von Provenance-Metadaten für BPEL-basierte Workflow- Management-Systeme. Der von uns entworfene und implementierte Prov2ONE Al- gorithmus übersetzt dafür die Struktur und Ausführungstraces von BPEL-Workflow- Definitionen automatisch in das Provenance-Modell ProvONE. Hierbei ermöglicht die Verfügbarkeit der vollständigen BPEL-Provenance-Daten in ProvONE nicht nur eine aggregierte Analyse der Workflow-Definition mit ihrem Ausführungstrace, sondern gewährleistet auch die Kompatibilität von Provenance-Daten aus unterschiedlichen Spezifikationssprachen. Die vierte Komponente unseres wissenschaftlichen Datenarchives ist das Provenance-Interoperabilitätsframework ProvONE - Provenance Interoperability Framework (P-PIF). Dieses gewährleistet die Interoperabilität von Provenance-Daten heterogener Provenance-Modelle aus unterschiedlichen Workflowmanagementsyste- men. P-PIF besteht aus zwei Komponenten: dem Prov2ONE-Algorithmus für SCUFL und MoML Workflow-Spezifikationen und Workflow-Management-System- spezifischen Adaptern zur Extraktion, Übersetzung und Modellierung retrospektiver Provenance-Daten in das ProvONE-Provenance-Modell. P-PIF kann sowohl Kon- trollfluss als auch Datenfluss nach ProvONE übersetzen. Die Verfügbarkeit hetero- gener Provenance-Traces in ProvONE ermöglicht das Vergleichen, Analysieren und Anfragen von Provenance-Daten aus unterschiedlichen Workflowsystemen. Wir haben die Komponenten des in dieser Arbeit vorgestellten wissenschaftlichen Datenarchives wie folgt evaluiert: für den Client zum Datentrasfer haben wir die Daten-übertragungsleistung mit dem Standard-Protokoll für Nanoskopie-Datensätze untersucht. Das MetaStore-Framework haben wir hinsichtlich der folgenden bei- den Aspekte evaluiert. Zum einen haben wir die Metadatenaufnahme und Voll- textsuchleistung unter verschiedenen Datenbankkonfigurationen getestet. Zum an- deren zeigen wir die umfassende Abdeckung der Funktionalitäten von MetaStore durch einen funktionsbasierten Vergleich von MetaStore mit bestehenden Metadaten- Management-Systemen. Für die Evaluation von P-PIF haben wir zunächst die Korrek- theit und Vollständigkeit unseres Prov2ONE-Algorithmus bewiesen und darüber hin- aus die vom Prov2ONE BPEL-Algorithmus generierten Prognose-Graphpattern aus ProvONE gegen bestehende BPEL-Kontrollflussmuster ausgewertet. Um zu zeigen, dass P-PIF ein nachhaltiges Framework ist, das sich an Standards hält, vergle- ichen wir außerdem die Funktionen von P-PIF mit denen bestehender Provenance- Interoperabilitätsframeworks. Diese Auswertungen zeigen die Überlegenheit und die Vorteile der einzelnen in dieser Arbeit entwickelten Komponenten gegenüber ex- istierenden Systemen