[ ARCHIVE ] International Workshop on Object-Role Modeling

Monterrey, Mexico, Nov 12 - 14, 2008

Proceedings published by Springer Verlag


BACKGROUND

Following successful workshops held in Cyprus (2005), France (2006) and Portugal (2007), this is the fourth in a series of fact-oriented modeling workshops run in conjunction with the OTM conferences. Fact-oriented modeling is a conceptual, natural language based approach to modeling and querying the information semantics of business domains in terms of the underlying facts of interest, where all facts and rules may be verbalized in language readily understandable by users of those business domains.

Unlike Entity-Relationship (ER) modeling and UML class diagrams, fact-oriented modeling treats all facts as relationships (unary, binary, ternary etc.). How facts are grouped into structures (e.g. attribute-based entity types, classes, relation schemes, XML schemas) is considered a design level, implementation issue that is irrelevant to the capturing of essential business semantics. Avoiding attributes in the base model enhances semantic stability and populatability, as well as facilitating natural verbalization and thus more productive communication with all stakeholders. For information modeling, fact-oriented graphical notations are typically far more expressive than those provided by other notations. Fact-oriented textual languages are based on formal subsets of native languages, so are easier to understand by business people than technical languages like OCL. Fact-oriented modeling includes procedures for mapping to attribute-based structures, so may also be used to front-end other approaches.

Though less well known than ER and object-oriented approaches, fact-oriented modeling has been used successfully in industry for over 30 years, and is taught in universities around the world. The fact-oriented modeling approach comprises a family of closely related “dialects”, the most well known being Object-Role Modeling (ORM), Cognition enhanced Natural language Information Analysis Method (CogNIAM) and Fully-Communication Oriented Information Modeling (FCO-IM). Though adopting a different graphical notation, the Object-oriented Systems Model (OSM) is a close relative, with its attribute-free philosophy. In December 2007, the Semantics of Business Vocabulary and Business Rules (SBVR) proposal was adopted by the Object Management Group, becoming the latest addition to the family of fact-oriented approaches.

Commercial tools supporting the fact-oriented approach include the ORM solution within Microsoft’s Visio for Enterprise Architects, the CogNIAM tool Doctool, and the FCO-IM tool CaseTalk. Free ORM tools include InfoModeler and Infagon, as well as various academic prototypes. DogmaStudio is an ORM-based tool for specifying ontologies. NORMA, an open-source plug-in to Visual Studio, is currently under development to provide deep support for second generation ORM. Various SBVR tools are also currently under development. General information about fact-orientation and SBVR, respectively, may be found at www.ORMFoundation.org. and http://omg.org/technology/documents/bms_spec_catalog.htm#SBVR.


GOALS AND TOPICS

The main goal of this workshop is to provide a forum for practitioners and researchers interested in fact-oriented modeling methods to meet, and exchange research and implementation ideas and results. It also provides this group of practitioners/researchers an opportunity to present their research papers and experience reports, and to take part in open discussions. Relevant topics include (but are not limited to) theoretical and/or empirical exploration of fact-oriented modeling methods, as well as case studies and experience reports related to:

  • Theory/principles of fact-oriented modeling (ORM, CogNIAM, SBVR, FCO-IM etc.)
  • Application of fact-oriented modeling to data warehousing and business intelligence
  • Fact-oriented integration of business information, processes and events
  • Fact-oriented modeling of ontologies
  • Metamodels for fact-oriented modeling and business practice
  • Fact-oriented metamodeling best practices
  • Fact orientation, communication and understandability
  • Industrial experience with fact-oriented modeling
  • Fact-orientation and terminology science and practice
  • Fact-oriented application generation
  • Educational experience with fact-oriented modeling
  • Fact-oriented modeling and business rules
  • Temporal issues in fact-oriented modeling
  • Fact-oriented modeling and business service modeling
  • Fact-oriented modeling and workflow modeling
  • Agent-oriented extensions to fact-oriented modeling
  • Tools to support fact-oriented modeling and business practice
  • Fact-orientation and verbalization of business rules
  • Fact-orientation and validation of business rules
  • Fact-oriented query languages
  • Transforming fact-based models to/from attribute-based models
  • Comparing fact-orientation with other approaches


INTENDED AUDIENCE

The workshop is primarily aimed at researchers and practitioners interested in conceptual modeling approaches for the analysis and design of information systems and ontologies, including modeling of data, processes and events. Attendees familiar with fact-oriented approaches have the opportunity to update and deepen their knowledge and expertise in this area. Attendees less familiar with fact-oriented approaches have an ideal opportunity to learn about the approach from world experts in the area, and adopt or adapt the many benefits of the approach.


WORKSHOP CO-CHAIRS 

Terry Halpin
Neumont University, USA
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Sjir Nijssen
PNA, The Netherlands
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PROGRAM COMMITTEE

Roel Baardman - BonusAdvies, The Netherlands
Guido Bakema - HAN University of Applied Science, The Netherlands
Herman Balsters - University of Groningen, The Netherlands
Linda Bird - National E-Health Transition Authority, Australia
Anthony Bloesch - Microsoft Corporation, USA
Scott Becker - Orthogonal Software, USA
Peter Bollen - Maastricht University, The Netherlands
Lex Bruil - ING Netherlands
Andy Carver - Neumont University, USA
Don Baisley - Microsoft Corporation, USA
Donald Chapin - Business Semantics, UK
Dave Cuyler - Sandia National Laboratories, USA
Olga De Troyer - Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
Jan Dietz - Delft University of Technology, The Netherlands
Gordon Everest - University of Minnesota, USA
Ken Evans - ORM Foundation, United Kingdom
Mario Gutknecht - Commerzbank, Frankfurt, Germany
John Hall - Model Systems, UK
Pat Hallock - InConcept, USA
Terry Halpin - Neumont University, USA
Hank Hermans - Statistics Netherlands, The Netherlands
Stijn Hoppenbrouwers - Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Mike Jackson - Birmingham City University, United Kingdom
Mustafa Jarrar - University of Cyprus, Cyprus
Elisa Kendall - Sandpiper Software, USA
Mark Linehan - IBM, USA
Inge Lemmens - PNA, The Netherlands
Bodil Madsen - Copenhagen Business School, Denmark
Robert Meersman - Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
Tony Morgan - Neumont University, USA
Maurice Nijssen - PNA, The Netherlands
Sjir Nijssen - PNA, The Netherlands
Anita Nuopponen - University of Vaasa, Finland
Baba Piprani - SICOM, Canada
Erik Proper - Radboud University and Capgemini, The Netherlands
Bob    Quast  - City of The Hague, The Netherlands
Ron Ross - Business Rules Solutions, USA
Jos Rozendaal - UCademy BV, Velserbroek, The Netherlands
Gerhard Skagestein - University of Oslo, Norway
Sylvie Spreeuwenberg - LibRT, The Netherlands
Peter Spyns - Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
Deny Smeets - HAN University of Applied Science, The Netherlands
Hanne Thomsen - Copenhagen Business School, Denmark
Joost van Griethuysen - MMJ Engineering, The Netherlands
Jan Vanthienen - Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Belgium
Remco van Voorthuizen - ADP, The Netherlands
Jos Vos - ABP/AMC, Heerlen, The Netherlands
Gerd Wagner - Brandenburg Technical University Cottbus, Germany
Theo van der Weide - Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands


For more information on the workshop, please contact:

Prof. Terry Halpin
e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
fax: + 1 801 302 2811
tel: +1 801 302 2820