Conceptual modelling for web information systems: What semantics can be shared?

Abstract

There is an increasing need to allow software applications to exchange data, which usually requires the negotiation of meanings between incompatible conceptual models. Theoretically, the concepts in one application can be mapped to those in another, but this can be challenging in practice. The problem is more fundamental than "information plumbing"; it requires reconciliation between alternative and possibly conflicting ways of viewing the world. Ontologies and the Semantic Web have been proposed as potential solutions to the information exchange problem. This research investigates from first principles what kinds of data exchange are possible, with the aim of analyzing the issue in a useful way for the developers and users of web-based information systems. The analysis suggests particular means of facilitating data exchange involving the use of a simple set of shared basic-level categories. © 2011 Springer-Verlag.