A Semiotics Approach to Semantic Mismatches
This paper deals with modeling issues that are common to semiotics and software engineering. A major problem is that vague notions of modeling lead to difficulties in building real-world representations for use in the software development life cycle. Spec
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Abstract. This paper deals with modeling issues that are common to semiotics and software engineering. A major problem is that vague notions of modeling lead to difficulties in building real-world representations for use in the software development life cycle. Specifically, this paper focuses on building a consistent representation that eliminates semantic mismatches through analysis of semiotics. Semantic mismatches occur when the same term is associated with multiple concepts. Semiotics provides a good theoretical foundation for UML research, since a UML diagram can be considered a sign made up of signs. This paper introduces a new approach based on the so-called Flowthing Model (FM) to represent semiotics notions of sign, interpretant, and object, for use in studying the problem of semantic mismatches. The conclusion is that diagrammatic UML representation can lead to the appearance of such problems and that FM description provides separate streams such that no mixing can occur among terms as things that flow. Keywords: Conceptual model, Semiotic triangle, Software engineering, Semantic mismatches, UML.
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Introduction and Description of the Problem
A model-driven engineering approach [1] emphasizes the bridging of different technologies and the integration of various bodies of knowledge [2][3]. It is concerned with modeling standards, techniques and tools, organizational process changes, project estimation and cost [4], as well as interoperability. Modeling standards include systems (e.g., SysML), software (e.g., UML), and hardware. A “model” of a “system”, in this context, is a construct that describes and explains the modeled domain as a phase in the development of a corresponding software system. This resultant description plays a crucial role as a blueprint from which phases of development evolve. The conceptual picture describes a real-world domain while excluding technical aspects and serves as a guide for the subsequent design phase. It provides a high-level representation of relevant entities and relationships among them in a system [6]. Building such a model is a major task involving knowledge management [7] to facilitate communication among stakeholders. “Model-driven development is a technology that aims to handle software development at a higher abstraction level using models as the main development artifact” [8]. This paper targets a set of challenges related to system development, including construction of a conceptual representation to serve as the foundation for software K. Liu et al. (Eds.): ICISO 2014, IFIP AICT 426, pp. 11–21, 2014. © IFIP International Federation for Information Processing 2014
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development. It focuses on analysis of requirements in the development life cycle to specify the what: user requirements captured from the problem domain without technology-dependent details [9]. The design phase is concerned with specifying the how, when a software solution is analyzed and design artifacts are developed [10]. “‘Analysis’ designates some kind of understanding of
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