Using Analogy to Promote Conceptual Modeling Reuse
Abstract
This paper argues in favor of a database conceptual schema and Semantic
Web ontology design discipline that explores analogy mappings to reuse
the structure and integrity constraints of conceptual models, stored in a repository.
We presuppose that a team of expert conceptual designers would
build a standard repository of source conceptual models, which less experienced
designers would use to create new target conceptual models in other
domains. The target models will then borrow the structure and the integrity
constraints from the source models by analogy. The concepts are expressed in
the contexts of Description Logics, the RDF model and OWL to reinforce the
basic principles and explore additional questions, such as the consistency of
the target model.