Papers by Giancarlo Guizzardi
Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2016
Different disciplines have been established to deal with the representation of entities of differ... more Different disciplines have been established to deal with the representation of entities of different ontological natures: the business process modeling discipline focuses mostly on event-like entities, and, in contrast, the (structural) conceptual modeling discipline focuses mostly on object-like entities (known as endurants in the ontology literature). In this paper, we discuss the impact of the event vs. endurant divide for conceptual models, showing that a rich ontological account is required to bridge this divide. Accounting for the ontological differences in events and endurants as well as their relations can lead to a more comprehensive representation of business reality.
Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing, 2014
In order to increase the accuracy of conceptual models, graphical languages such as UML are often... more In order to increase the accuracy of conceptual models, graphical languages such as UML are often enriched with textual constraint languages such as the Object Constraint Language (OCL). This enables modelers to benefit from the simplicity of diagrammatic languages while retaining the expressiveness required for producing accurate models. In this paper, we discuss how OCL is used to enrich a conceptual model assessment tool based on an ontologically well-founded profile of the Unified Modeling Language (UML) that assumes multiple and dynamic classification (called OntoUML). In the approach, OCL expressions are transformed into Alloy statements enabling model validation and assertion verification with the Alloy Analyzer. The tool we have developed allows modelers with no Alloy expertise to express constraints in OCL enriching OntoUML models.
Conceptual Modeling, 2019
For over a decade now, a community of researchers has contributed to the ontological foundations ... more For over a decade now, a community of researchers has contributed to the ontological foundations of Conceptual Modeling by participating to the development of the Unified Foundational Ontology (UFO) and the UFO-based modeling language OntoUML, which have been successfully employed in a number of different sectors. The empirical feedback from these experiences led us to reconsider UFO's theory of relations, proposing a new theory that has already been applied to model subtle notions in the business domain, such as value, risk, service, and contract. In this paper, we advance a first formal characterization of this new theory, which is then used to design a new metamodel for OntoUML.
2018 12th International Conference on Research Challenges in Information Science (RCIS), 2018
In recent years, there has been a growth in the use of reference conceptual models, in general, a... more In recent years, there has been a growth in the use of reference conceptual models, in general, and domain ontologies, in particular, to capture information about complex and critical domains. These models play a fundamental role in different types of critical semantic interoperability tasks. Therefore, it is essential that domain experts are able to understand and reason using the models' content. In other words, it is important that conceptual models are cognitively tractable. However, it is unavoidable that when the information of the represented domain grows, so does the size and complexity of the artifacts and models that represent them. For this reason, more sophisticated techniques for complexity management in ontology-driven conceptual models, need to be developed. Some approaches are based on the notion of model modularization. In this paper, we follow the work on model modularization to present an approach for view extraction for the ontology-driven conceptual modeling language OntoUML. We provide a formal definition for ontological views over OntoUML conceptual models that completely leverages on the ontologically well-grounded real-world semantics of that language. Moreover, we present a plug-in tool, particularly developed for an OntoUML model-based editor that implements this formal view structure in terms of queries defined over the OntoUML metamodel embedded in that tool.
— While conceptual modeling is strongly related to the final quality of the software product [15]... more — While conceptual modeling is strongly related to the final quality of the software product [15], conceptual modeling itself remains a challenging activity. In particular, modelers must ensure that conceptual models properly formalize their intended conceptualization of a domain. This paper proposes an approach to facilitate the validation process of conceptual models defined in OntoUML by transforming these models into specifications in the logic-based language Alloy and using its analyzer to generate instances of the model and assertion counter-examples. By allowing the observation of sequences of snapshots of model instances, the dynamics of object creation, classification, association and destruction are revealed. This confronts the modeler with the implications of modeling choices and allows them to uncover mistakes or gain confidence in the quality of conceptual models.
2019 13th International Conference on Research Challenges in Information Science (RCIS), 2019
This paper presents an ontological analysis of the Software Engineering Metamodel for Development... more This paper presents an ontological analysis of the Software Engineering Metamodel for Development Methodologies (SEMDM), provided by the ISO/IEC 24744 Standard. An ISO initiative intends to use SEMDM as source of an ontology for standards harmonization purposes, and the ontological analysis can help to ensure the required semantics. This analysis is done in the light of the Unified Foundational Ontology (UFO). As result, we present some of the problems identified in SEMDM, as well as alternative model fragments solving them.
J. Univers. Comput. Sci., 2010
Assessing the quality of conceptual models is key to ensure that conceptual models can be used ef... more Assessing the quality of conceptual models is key to ensure that conceptual models can be used effectively as a basis for understanding, agreement and construction of information systems. This paper proposes an approach to assess conceptual models defined in OntoUML by transforming these models into specifications in the logic-based language Alloy. These Alloy specifications include the modal axioms of the theory underlying OntoUML, allowing us to validate the modal meta-properties representing ontological commitments of the OntoUML types and relations.
Stability is a key quality of a conceptual model. A stable conceptual model is able to withstand ... more Stability is a key quality of a conceptual model. A stable conceptual model is able to withstand changes in domain conceptualization and user requirements without major impact. This paper addresses stability of ontologydriven conceptual models by presenting a number of patterns in the OntoUML language which are derived from characteristics of the foundational ontology underlying the language. The discussed stability patterns include: orthogonal subtype partitions (more specifically phase and subkind partitions), multi-level modeling with high-order types, reification of intrinsic and relational aspects, and model taxonomy refactoring with non-sortal types.
Applied Ontology, 2021
The Unified Foundational Ontology (UFO) was developed over the last two decades by consistently p... more The Unified Foundational Ontology (UFO) was developed over the last two decades by consistently putting together theories from areas such as formal ontology in philosophy, cognitive science, linguistics, and philosophical logics. It comprises a number of micro-theories addressing fundamental conceptual modeling notions, including entity types and relationship types. The aim of this paper is to summarize the current state of UFO, presenting a formalization of the ontology, along with the analysis of a number of cases to illustrate the application of UFO and facilitate its comparison with other foundational ontologies in this special issue. (The cases originate from the First FOUST Workshop – the Foundational Stance, an international forum dedicated to Foundational Ontology research.)
In this paper, we present a succinct formalisation of the main categories of the Unified Foundati... more In this paper, we present a succinct formalisation of the main categories of the Unified Foundational Ontology (UFO) by summarising and simplifying a fragment of the version of [Gui05]. In this version, we show that the use first-order modal logic with no higher-order constructs suffices for many modelling tasks. We focus here on the case of universals. We slightly modify the original version of UFO by presenting new definitions of the intension and of the extension of universals and by approaching a taxonomy of universals.
Data & Knowledge Engineering, 2021
Types are fundamental for conceptual modeling and knowledge representation, being an essential co... more Types are fundamental for conceptual modeling and knowledge representation, being an essential construct in all major modeling languages in these fields. Despite that, from an ontological and cognitive point of view, there has been a lack of theoretical support for precisely defining a consensual view on types. As a consequence, there has been a lack of precise methodological support for users when choosing the best way to model general terms representing types that appear in a domain, and for building sound taxonomic structures involving them. For over a decade now, a community of researchers has contributed to the development of the Unified Foundational Ontology (UFO)-aimed at providing foundations for all major conceptual modeling constructs. At the core of this enterprise, there has been a theory of types specially designed to address these issues. This theory is ontologically well-founded, psychologically informed, and formally characterized. These results have led to the development of a Conceptual Modeling language dubbed OntoUML, reflecting the ontological micro-theories comprising UFO. Over the years, UFO and OntoUML have been successfully employed on conceptual model design in a variety of domains including academic, industrial, and governmental settings. These experiences exposed improvement opportunities for both the OntoUML language and its underlying theory, UFO. In this paper, we revise the theory of types in UFO in response to empirical evidence. The new version of this theory shows that many of OntoUML's meta-types (e.g. kind, role, phase, mixin) should be considered not as restricted to substantial types but instead should be applied to model endurant types in general, including relator types, quality types, and mode types. We also contribute with a formal characterization of this fragment of the theory, which is then used to advance a new metamodel for OntoUML (termed OntoUML 2). To demonstrate that the benefits of this approach are extended beyond OntoUML, the proposed formal theory is then employed to support the definition of UFO-based lightweight Semantic Web ontologies with ontological constraint checking in OWL. Additionally, we report on empirical evidence from the literature, mainly from cognitive psychology but also from linguistics, supporting some of the key claims made by this theory. Finally, we propose a computational support for this updated metamodel.
Conceptual Modeling, 2018
For over a decade now, a community of researchers has contributed to the development of the Unifi... more For over a decade now, a community of researchers has contributed to the development of the Unified Foundational Ontology (UFO)-aimed at providing foundations for all major conceptual modeling constructs. This ontology has led to the development of an Ontology-Driven Conceptual Modeling language dubbed OntoUML, reflecting the ontological micro-theories comprising UFO. Over the years, UFO and OntoUML have been successfully employed in a number of academic, industrial and governmental settings to create conceptual models in a variety of different domains. These experiences have pointed out to opportunities of improvement not only to the language itself but also to its underlying theory. In this paper, we take the first step in that direction by revising the theory of types in UFO in response to empirical evidence. The new version of this theory shows that many of the meta-types present in OntoUML (differentiating Kinds, Roles, Phases, Mixins, etc.) should be considered not as restricted to Substantial types but instead should be applied to model Endurant Types in general, including Relator types, Quality types and Mode types. We also contribute a formal characterization of this fragment of the theory, which is then used to advance a metamodel for OntoUML 2.0. Finally, we propose a computational support tool implementing this updated metamodel.
Software and Systems Modeling, 2021
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the use of reference conceptual models to c... more In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the use of reference conceptual models to capture information about complex and sensitive business domains (e.g., finance, healthcare, space). These models play a fundamental role in different types of critical semantic interoperability tasks. Therefore, domain experts must be able to understand and reason with their content. In other words, these models need to be cognitively tractable. This paper contributes to this goal by proposing a model clustering technique that leverages on the rich semantics of ontology-driven conceptual models (ODCM). In particular, we propose a formal notion of Relational Context to guide the automated clusterization (or modular breakdown) of conceptual models. Such Relational Contexts capture all the information needed for understanding entities "qua players of roles" in the scope of an objectified (reified) relationship (relator). The paper also presents computational support for automating the identification of Relational Contexts and this modular breakdown procedure. Finally, we report the results of an empirical study assessing the cognitive effectiveness of this approach. Keywords Ontology-driven conceptual modeling • Complexity management in conceptual modeling • Conceptual model clustering • OntoUML B Giancarlo Guizzardi
Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing, 2020
In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the use of reference conceptual models to c... more In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the use of reference conceptual models to capture information about complex and sensitive business domains (e.g., finance, healthcare, space). These models play a fundamental role in different types of critical semantic interoperability tasks. Therefore, it is essential that domain experts are able to understand and reason with their content. In other words, it is important for these reference conceptual models to be cognitively tractable. This paper contributes to this goal by proposing a model clustering technique that leverages the rich semantics of ontology-driven conceptual models (ODCM). In particular, the technique employs the notion of Relational Context to guide automated model breakdown. Such Relational Contexts capture all the information needed for understanding entities "qua players of roles" in the scope of an objectified (reified) relationship (relator).
Conceptual Modeling, 2015
Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2015
Building proper reference ontologies is a hard task. There are a number of methods and tools that... more Building proper reference ontologies is a hard task. There are a number of methods and tools that traditionally have been used to support this task. These include foundational theories, reuse of domain and core ontologies, development methods, and software tool support. In this context, an approach that has gained increased attention in recent years is the systematic application of ontology patterns. This paper discusses how Foundational and Domain-related Ontology Patterns can be derived, and how they can be applied in combination for building more consistent ontologies in a reuse-centered process.
Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2009
Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing, 2011
We investigate the question if BPMN can be used for simulation modeling by evaluating it against ... more We investigate the question if BPMN can be used for simulation modeling by evaluating it against ABDESO, a foundational ontology for agentbased discrete event simulation. Since a simulation model is intended to capture a real-world system, BPMN, if used as the modeling language for making the simulation model, should have a "real-world semantics" based on a foundational ontology for agent-based discrete event simulation.
Proceedings of the 2010 Winter Simulation Conference, 2010
This paper is an attempt to transfer some results in the meta-theory of conceptual modeling of so... more This paper is an attempt to transfer some results in the meta-theory of conceptual modeling of software systems to discrete event simulation modeling. We present DESO, a foundational ontology for discrete event system modeling derived from the foundational ontology UFO. The main purpose of DESO is to provide a basis for evaluating discrete event simulation languages.
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Papers by Giancarlo Guizzardi