Authors: Jeffrey Parsons, Roman Lukyanenko
Tags: 2012, conceptual modeling, user-generated content
Traditionally, the research and practice of conceptual modeling assumed a closed-world system, in which all relevant information about a domain could be discovered through users-analyst communication. The increasing ubiquity of user-generated content challenges a number of long-held propositions about conceptual modeling. Given significant differences in levels of domain expertise among online contributors, it is often impossible to predict all valid conceptualizations of a domain by potential users. Approaching conceptual modeling in open-world domains (driven by user-generated content) using traditional principles of closed-world modeling is highly constraining. This paper proposes theoretical principles of open-world conceptual modeling, making it possible to capture unique perspectives of heterogeneous users in a conceptual model. We define the role of conceptual modeling in open-world domains and provide a foundation to guide design and implementation of openworld information systems.
Cite as:
Lukyanenko R. and Parsons J. (2012), “Conceptual Modeling in Open-World Domains,” in AIS SIGSAND, Vancouver, BC, Canada, June 1-2, 2012.
