Validating Modal Aspects of OntoUML Conceptual Models Using Automatically Generated Visual World Structures

Alessander Benevides; Giancarlo Guizzardi; Bernardo Ferreira Bastos Braga; Joao Paulo Andrade Almeida

doi:10.3217/jucs-016-20-2904

JUCS - Journal of Universal Computer Science 16(20): 2904-2933, doi: 10.3217/jucs-016-20-2904

Validating Modal Aspects of OntoUML Conceptual Models Using Automatically Generated Visual World Structures

Alessander Botti Benevides^‡, Giancarlo Guizzardi^‡, Bernardo Ferreira Bastos Braga^‡, Joao Paulo Andrade Almeida^‡

‡ Federal University of Espírito Santo (UFES), Vitoria, Brazil

Corresponding author: Alessander Benevides ( abbenevides@inf.ufes.br )

This article is freely available under the J.UCS Open Content License.

Citation: Benevides AB, Guizzardi G, Braga BFB, Almeida JPA (2010) Validating Modal Aspects of OntoUML Conceptual Models Using Automatically Generated Visual World Structures. JUCS - Journal of Universal Computer Science 16(20): 2904-2933. https://doi.org/10.3217/jucs-016-20-2904

Abstract

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.

Keywords

model validation and analysis, knowledge representation formalisms and methods, formal definitions and theory