Journal article
Conceptual modelling and ontology: Possibilities and citfalls
Journal of database management, Vol.14(3), pp.1-20
01 Jul 2003
Abstract
Conceptual modelling is an activity undertaken during information systems development work to build a representation of selected semantics about some real-world domain. Ontological theories have been developed to account for the structure and behavior of the real world in general. In this paper, I discuss why ontological theories can be used to inform conceptual modeling research, practice, and pedagogy. I provide examples from my research to illustrate how a particular ontological theory has enabled me to improve my understanding of certain conceptual modelling practices and grammars. I describe, also, how some colleagues and I have used this theory to generate several counter-intuitive, sometimes surprising predictions about widely advocated conceptual modelling practices -predictions that subsequently were supported in empirical research we undertook. Finally, I discuss several possibilities and pitfalls I perceive to be associated with our using ontological theories to underpin research on conceptual modelling.
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Details
- Title
- Conceptual modelling and ontology: Possibilities and citfalls
- Creators
- R Weber
- Publication Details
- Journal of database management, Vol.14(3), pp.1-20
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Information Science (Informatics)
- Identifiers
- 991019238635904721