Using abstractions to facilitate management of large ORM models and ontologies

Abstract

Due to ever larger ORM models and ORM-represented ontologies, information management and its GUI representation is even more important. One useful mechanism is abstraction, which has received some attention in conceptual modelling and implementation, as well as its foundational characteristics. Extant heuristics for ORM abstractions are examined and enriched with several foundational aspects of abstraction. These improvements are applicable to a wider range of types of representations, including conceptual models and ontologies, thereby not only alleviating the Database Comprehension Problem, but also facilitate conceptual model and ontology browsing. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2005.