Modeling Forms of Information Derivation in Modified WebML+

Rachatrin Tongrungrojana, Faculty of Engineering, University of Technology, Sydney, Email: rachatrin.tongrungrojana@uts.edu.au

David Lowe, Faculty of Engineering, University of Technology, Sydney, Email: david.lowe@uts.edu.au

Keywords

Web, Information Architecture, Information Modeling, Design, WebML, WebML+, Model

Abstract

The ability to reliably and consistently develop systems that utilise internet and Web technologies has become increasingly important. These systems are typically both functionally complex and information-rich, and have a number of unique characteristics that should imply specific changes to the development processes, methods and models that are adopted. One aspect of the development of Web-enabled systems that has received increasing attention is information modeling, particularly with respect to aspects such as navigation and content models. These models have, however, typically focused on modeling at a relatively low-level and have failed to address higher-level aspects, such as architectural and even business process modeling. We propose WebML+, a set of formal extensions to an existing modeling language (WebML) which addresses these concerns.

In this paper we present propose a modification to WebML+ that facilitates improved modeling (and hence understanding) of the relationships between information units within the organisation. Specifically, WebML+ includes the concept of information being derived from other information units. We look at enhancing the modeling of these relationships, to capture the different forms of derivation that can occur.