Ontological Semantics for the Use of UML in Conceptual Modeling

Despite its origins in software modeling, there has been growing interest in using the Unified Modeling Language (UML) for conceptual modeling of application domains. However, the UML has many constructs that are purely software oriented. Consequently, the suitability of the UML for modeling “real world” phenomena has been questioned. This research aims to assign real-world semantics to a core set of UML constructs by proposing a set of principles for mapping these constructs to the formal ontology of Mario Bunge, which has been widely used in information systems modeling contexts. We conclude by outlining how the proposed principles can be evaluated in terms of their effectiveness in supporting conceptual modeling using UML.

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2007
• Where: ER
• Authors: Xueming Li, Jeffrey Parsons
• Keywords: Conceptual Modeling, ER 2007, Software Modeling, Unified Modeling Language