21 KiB
OntolEDGY Documentation - DRAFT v.0.1
Enterprise Design Graph InterplaY - Formal Specification DRAFT
Version: 0.1-draft
Last Updated: September 22, 2024
Authors: Intersection Group, Omyn Health
Methodology: Maria Keet Standards Compliance (Draft Implementation)
Status: DRAFT - REQUIRES EMPIRICAL VALIDATION
License: Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0
DOCUMENT STATUS AND LIMITATIONS
This is a DRAFT specification that has undergone conceptual analysis but requires empirical validation before production use.
What Has Been Done (Verified)
- Structural analysis of TTL syntax and semantics
- Alignment verification with EDGY 23 Language Foundations
- Conceptual consistency checking (manual)
- Competency question design (untested)
- Ontological design pattern analysis
What Remains To Be Done (Critical)
- Automated consistency checking with reasoners
- OOPS! pitfall scanner execution
- Performance benchmarking with real data
- Expert domain validation with Intersection core team review
- Tool compatibility verification
- SPARQL query execution and validation
1. INTRODUCTION AND SCOPE
1.1 Purpose
The EDGY ontology provides a formal semantic foundation for the Enterprise Design Graph InterplaY framework. This DRAFT specification outlines the conceptual design and intended formal semantics, pending empirical validation.
1.2 Domain and Scope
Primary Domain: Enterprise architecture and organizational design
Application Range: Commercial enterprises, non-profit organizations, government institutions
Granularity: Strategic to operational enterprise levels
Temporal Scope: Current state and future state enterprise configurations
Spatial Scope: Single organizations to multi-enterprise ecosystems
1.3 Intended Users
Primary Users:
- Enterprise architects designing organizational structures
- Business analysts modeling enterprise processes
- Organizational designers optimizing enterprise configurations
- Systems thinking practitioners analyzing complex organizations
Secondary Users:
- Tool developers requiring enterprise semantics
- Researchers in organizational theory
- Consultants implementing enterprise transformations
1.4 Ontological Commitments
Graph Theory Foundation: Enterprises are modeled as directed graphs where elements (nodes) are connected through relationships (edges) to form analyzable network structures.
Function Behaviour Structure Alignment:
- Function: Desired outcomes and purposes (edgy:Purpose, edgy:Outcome)
- Behaviour: Observable activities and processes (edgy:Process, edgy:Activity, edgy:Journey)
- Structure: Physical and organizational objects (edgy:Asset, edgy:Organization, edgy:Product)
Three-Relationship Primitive System: All enterprise relationships derive from three fundamental primitives (link, flow, tree) ensuring consistent semantic modeling.
Facet-Based Multi-Perspective Modeling: Three complementary facets (Experience, Architecture, Identity) provide complete enterprise coverage through intersection elements.
2. DEVELOPMENT METHODOLOGY
2.1 Methodological Approach
Primary Methodology: Hybrid macro-level (NeON methodology) and micro-level (OntoClean) development approach following Keet Chapter 5 guidelines.
Knowledge Engineering Process (Applied to Date):
- Requirements Analysis: EDGY 23 Language Foundations specification analysis
- Conceptualization: Graph-theoretic enterprise modeling principles
- Formalization: OWL 2 EL ontology implementation (structural)
- Implementation: Turtle serialization with formal axioms
- Evaluation: PENDING - Requires empirical validation
2.2 Knowledge Sources
Primary Authoritative Sources:
- EDGY 23: Language Foundations (Intersection Group, 2023) - Analyzed
- Function Behaviour Structure Ontology (Gero, 1990) - Conceptually aligned
- Graph Theory in Enterprise Architecture - Conceptually integrated
Secondary Supporting Sources: - ArchiMate 3.1 Enterprise Architecture Modeling Language - Reviewed
- Systems Thinking in Practice (Checkland, 1999) - Conceptually aligned
- Enterprise Engineering methodologies - Reviewed
Validation Sources (PENDING): - Real-world enterprise case studies
- Expert domain knowledge validation
- Tool implementation feedback
2.3 Design Principles (Implemented)
- Principle P1: Three-Primitive Constraint: All object properties must specialize link, flow, or tree primitives ensuring consistent relationship semantics. Verified structurally
- Principle P2: Facet Coverage: Every element must be viewable through at least one facet ensuring complete enterprise perspective coverage. Implemented axiomatically
- Principle P3: Graph Connectivity: All elements must connect to at least one other element preventing isolated nodes in enterprise graphs. Implemented axiomatically
- Principle P4: Intersection Formalization: Cross-facet elements (Organization, Product) must be formally defined as facet intersections using OWL equivalence classes. Implemented axiomatically
3. COMPETENCY QUESTIONS (DESIGNED - UNTESTED)
⚠️ These competency questions have been designed based on requirements analysis but have NOT been empirically tested with real data or SPARQL execution.
3.1 Structural Analysis Questions
CQ1: "What capabilities does an organization possess to enable specific processes?"
PREFIX edgy: <http://www.omyn.ai/schema/edgy#>
SELECT ?org ?capability ?process WHERE {
?org a edgy:Organization ;
edgy:possesses ?capability .
?process a edgy:Process ;
edgy:requires ?capability .
}
- Status: UNTESTED - Requires SPARQL endpoint and test data
CQ2: "Which products serve customer tasks within user journeys?"
PREFIX edgy: <http://www.omyn.ai/schema/edgy#>
SELECT ?product ?task ?journey WHERE {
?journey a edgy:Journey .
?task edgy:marksa ?journey .
?product edgy:serves ?task .
}
- Status: UNTESTED - Requires SPARQL endpoint and test data
CQ3: "What assets are required by capabilities to deliver specific products?"
PREFIX edgy: <http://www.omyn.ai/schema/edgy#>
SELECT ?asset ?capability ?product WHERE {
?capability edgy:requires ?asset .
?process edgy:realizes ?capability ;
edgy:delivers ?product .
}
- Status: UNTESTED - Requires SPARQL endpoint and test data
3.2 Dynamic Flow Analysis Questions
CQ4: "How do brand representations propagate through organizational purposes?"
PREFIX edgy: <http://www.omyn.ai/schema/edgy#>
SELECT ?brand ?purpose ?element WHERE {
?brand edgy:represents ?purpose .
?element edgy:pursues ?purpose .
}
- Status: UNTESTED - Requires SPARQL endpoint and test data
3.3 Cross-Facet InterplaY Questions
CQ5: "Which elements operate at the intersection of multiple facets?"
PREFIX edgy: <http://www.omyn.ai/schema/edgy#>
SELECT ?element ?facet1 ?facet2 WHERE {
?element edgy:viewedThrough ?facet1, ?facet2 .
FILTER(?facet1 != ?facet2)
}
- Status: UNTESTED - Requires SPARQL endpoint and test data
4. CONCEPTUAL ARCHITECTURE (VERIFIED)
4.1 Core Class Hierarchy
EDGY Enterprise Elements:
edgy:Element (abstract base class)
├── edgy:Object (concrete physical/digital entities)
│ ├── edgy:Asset (capabilities-enabling resources)
│ ├── edgy:Content (story-conveying information)
│ ├── edgy:Organization (people working together) [Architecture ∩ Identity]
│ ├── edgy:People (individual stakeholders)
│ └── edgy:Product (customer-serving offerings) [Architecture ∩ Experience]
├── edgy:Activity (dynamic behaviors)
│ ├── edgy:Journey (stakeholder experience sequences) [Experience]
│ ├── edgy:Process (capability-realizing procedures) [Architecture]
│ └── edgy:Task (people-accomplished goals)
├── edgy:Brand (market-facing identity representation) [Identity]
├── edgy:Capability (process-enabling organizational abilities) [Architecture]
├── edgy:Channel (experience-delivering touchpoints) [Experience]
├── edgy:Outcome (achievement-targeted results)
│ └── edgy:Purpose (enterprise existence-justifying reasons)
└── edgy:Story (meaning-conveying narratives) [Identity]
- Verification Status: Structurally verified against EDGY 23 specification
4.2 Relationship Architecture (Verified)
Three Primitive Relationships:
edgy:link (Structural Association):
- Domain/Range: owl:Thing → owl:Thing
- Characteristics: Symmetric by default, can be asymmetric in specializations
- Purpose: Static structural relationships between enterprise elements
edgy:flow (Dynamic Sequence):
- Domain/Range: owl:Thing → owl:Thing
- Characteristics: AsymmetricProperty (directional behavioral flows)
- Purpose: Dynamic behavioral sequences and object passing between elements
edgy:tree (Hierarchical Containment):
-
Domain/Range: owl:Thing → owl:Thing
-
Characteristics: IrreflexiveProperty, AsymmetricProperty
-
Purpose: Hierarchical containment and aggregation between same-type elements
-
Verification Status: Structurally implemented - All 21 domain-specific properties inherit from these primitives
4.3 Facet System Architecture (Verified)
Three EDGY Facets:
edgy:ExperienceFacet: People-centric perspective
- Primary Elements: Journey, Channel, Task
- Focus: Stakeholder interactions and experience optimization
edgy:ArchitectureFacet: Structure-centric perspective
- Primary Elements: Process, Capability, Asset
- Focus: Organizational structures and operational capabilities
edgy:IdentityFacet: Meaning-centric perspective
- Primary Elements: Story, Brand, Purpose
- Focus: Organizational meaning and stakeholder perception
Intersection Elements:
-
Organization = ArchitectureFacet ∩ IdentityFacet
-
Product = ArchitectureFacet ∩ ExperienceFacet
-
Verification Status: Axiomatically implemented using OWL equivalence classes
5. FORMAL AXIOMS AND CONSTRAINTS (IMPLEMENTED - UNTESTED)
- ** Status: These axioms have been implemented in OWL **
- Status: have NOT been tested with automated reasoners.
5.1 Graph Connectivity Axioms
Axiom GC1: Element Connectivity Requirement
edgy:Element rdfs:subClassOf
[ rdf:type owl:Restriction ;
owl:onProperty [ owl:unionOf (edgy:link edgy:flow edgy:tree) ] ;
owl:minCardinality 1 ] .
- Status: Implemented
- Status: Untested with reasoners
5.2 Facet System Axioms
Axiom FS1: Universal Facet Coverage
edgy:Element rdfs:subClassOf
[ rdf:type owl:Restriction ;
owl:onProperty edgy:viewedThrough ;
owl:minCardinality 1 ] .
Axiom FS2: Organization Intersection Definition
edgy:Organization owl:equivalentClass
[ owl:intersectionOf (
[ rdf:type owl:Restriction ;
owl:onProperty edgy:viewedThrough ;
owl:hasValue edgy:ArchitectureFacet ]
[ rdf:type owl:Restriction ;
owl:onProperty edgy:viewedThrough ;
owl:hasValue edgy:IdentityFacet ]
) ] .
- Status: Implemented
- Status: Untested with reasoners
5.3 Domain-Specific Constraints
Constraint DS1: Organization Capability Requirement
edgy:Organization rdfs:subClassOf
[ rdf:type owl:Restriction ;
owl:onProperty edgy:possesses ;
owl:minCardinality 1 ] .
- Status: Implemented
- Status: Requires validation with test data
6. VALIDATION AND QUALITY ASSURANCE - CURRENT STATUS
6.1 Completed Validations
- Status: Structural Consistency. Validated
- Manual syntax checking completed
- EDGY 23 specification alignment verified
- Relationship hierarchy consistency confirmed
- Axiom syntax validation completed - Status: Conceptual Coherence - Validated
- OntoClean principles applied (theoretical analysis)
- FBS ontology alignment verified conceptually
- Facet system completeness confirmed structurally
6.2 PENDING Critical Validations
- Status: Logical Consistency - REQUIRED:
# TESTS TO BE PERFORMED
hermit -c edgy.ttl # Consistency checking
pellet consistency edgy.ttl # Alternative reasoner validation
elk-reasoner edgy.ttl # EL reasoning validation
- Status: Automated Pitfall Detection - REQUIRED:
# OOPS! Scanner execution needed
# Upload to: http://oops.linkeddata.es/
# Expected pitfalls to investigate based on structural analysis
- Status: Performance Benchmarking - REQUIRE:
# Scalability tests needed
# Generate enterprise graphs: 100, 1K, 10K elements
# Measure reasoning time and memory consumption
# Validate query response times
6.3 Placeholder Quality Metrics (TO BE VERIFIED)
The following metrics are ESTIMATES based on structural analysis and require empirical validation:
| Metric Category | Estimated Value | Confidence Level | ❌ Validation Required |
|---|---|---|---|
| Logical Consistency | Likely Consistent | Medium | Reasoner execution |
| OOPS! Score | 7-9/10 (estimated) | Low | ❌ Automated scanning |
| Competency Question Coverage | 100% (designed) | Medium | SPARQL execution |
| Reasoning Performance | Unknown | None | Benchmarking |
| Memory Requirements | Unknown | None | Load testing |
7. USAGE GUIDELINES AND PATTERNS (DESIGNED - UNTESTED)
7.1 Basic Enterprise Modeling Patterns
Pattern 1: Organizational Capability Model
:acmeCorp a edgy:Organization ;
edgy:possesses :salesCapability, :developmentCapability ;
edgy:makes :softwareProduct ;
edgy:builds :acmeBrand .
:salesProcess a edgy:Process ;
edgy:realizes :salesCapability ;
edgy:delivers :softwareProduct ;
edgy:requires :salesAsset .
- Status Syntactically valid
- Status: Untested with real data
Pattern 2: Customer Journey Mapping
:customerJourney a edgy:Journey ;
edgy:traverses :webChannel, :storeChannel ;
edgy:viewedThrough edgy:ExperienceFacet .
:purchaseTask a edgy:Task ;
edgy:marksa :customerJourney .
:softwareProduct edgy:serves :purchaseTask ;
edgy:featuresIn :customerJourney .
- Status: Conce**ptually sound **
- Requires validation in tools
8. REQUIRED VALIDATION ROADMAP
Phase 1: Automated Validation (IMMEDIATE - 1-2 weeks)
Critical Tests:
- Reasoner Consistency Checking
- Execute HermiT, Pellet, ELK reasoners
- Verify no logical contradictions
- Document any inconsistencies found
- OOPS! Pitfall Analysis
- Upload ontology to automated scanner
- Analyze detected pitfalls
- Prioritize and address critical issues
- Basic SPARQL Query Testing
- Set up triple store with ontology
- Execute all competency question queries
- Verify syntactic correctness
Phase 2: Performance Validation
Scalability Tests:
- Load Testing
- Generate synthetic enterprise data (100, 1K, 10K elements)
- Measure classification time and memory usage
- Document performance characteristics
- Query Performance
- Benchmark competency question response times
- Test complex graph traversal queries
- Identify optimization requirements
Phase 3: Domain Expert Validation
Expert Review:
- Ontological Review
- Independent ontologist validation
- OntoClean methodology peer review
- Conceptual coherence assessment
- Domain Expert Review
- Enterprise architect practitioner feedback
- Real-world use case validation
- Alignment with enterprise design practice
Phase 4: Tool Integration Testing
Ecosystem Validation:
- Tool Compatibility
- Protégé import/export testing
- SPARQL endpoint deployment
- Visualization tool integration
- Real-World Pilot
- Small enterprise modeling pilot project
- Practitioner usability assessment
- Documentation refinement
9. STANDARDS COMPLIANCE AND INTEROPERABILITY
9.1 W3C Standards Compliance
OWL 2 Compliance:
- Status: Structurally implemented
- Status: Untested with validators
- OWL 2 EL Profile: Designed for but requires validation
- RDF(S) Compatibility: Implemented but untested
- SPARQL Support: Designed for but requires testing
Metadata Standards: - Status: Implemented
- Dublin Core Terms: Complete metadata using DC Terms vocabulary
- SKOS Core: Selected integration (edgy:Purpose)
9.2 Enterprise Architecture Standards (THEORETICAL)
- ArchiMate 3.1 Alignment: REQUIRES FORMAL MAPPING VALIDATION
- Conceptual alignment identified
- Formal transformation rules needed
- Tool interoperability testing required - BPMN 2.0 Integration: REQUIRES VALIDATION
- Process elements theoretically compatible
- Mapping validation needed
10. KNOWN LIMITATIONS AND RISKS
10.1 Technical Risks
Reasoning Performance: Untested axiom complexity may cause performance issues with large enterprise models.
Tool Compatibility: Complex OWL constructs may not be supported by all enterprise architecture tools.
Scalability: Graph connectivity constraints may not scale to enterprise-wide models.
10.2 Methodological Limitations
Expert Validation Gap: Ontology has not been reviewed by independent domain experts.
Real-World Testing Gap: No validation with actual enterprise data or use cases.
User Acceptance Unknown: Accessibility to target user community unverified.
10.3 Conceptual Risks
Over-Engineering: Formal axioms may be unnecessarily complex for practical enterprise design.
Philosophical Tensions: Graph-theoretic approach may conflict with traditional enterprise architecture thinking.
11. CONCLUSION AND NEXT STEPS
11.1 Current Status
This DRAFT specification provides a solid conceptual foundation for the EDGY ontology with:
- Complete structural implementation
- EDGY 23 specification alignment
- Formal axiomatization (untested)
- Methodological rigor (theoretical)
11.2 Critical Next Steps
Before Production Use:
- Complete automated validation suite (Phase 1)
- Perform scalability and performance testing (Phase 2)
- Obtain independent expert validation (Phase 3)
- Conduct real-world pilot testing (Phase 4)
11.3 Expected Timeline
Validation Complete: 3-6 months
Production Ready: 6-12 months
Community Adoption: 12-24 months
12. REFERENCES
12.1 Primary Sources
- Intersection Group. "EDGY 23: Language Foundations." Open Source Enterprise Design Framework, 2023.
- Gero, J.S. "Design prototypes: a knowledge representation schema for design." AI Magazine, vol. 11, no. 4, pp. 26-36, 1990.
- Keet, C. Maria. "An Introduction to Ontology Engineering." College Publications, London, 2018.
12.2 Standards and Specifications
- W3C OWL Working Group. "OWL 2 Web Ontology Language Document Overview (Second Edition)." W3C Recommendation, December 2012.
- The Open Group. "ArchiMate 3.1 Specification." The Open Group Standard, 2019.
12.3 Methodological References
- Suárez-Figueroa, M.C., Gómez-Pérez, A., Fernández-López, M. "The NeON Methodology framework: A scenario-based methodology for ontology development." Applied Ontology, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 107-145, 2015.
- Poveda-Villalón, M., Gómez-Pérez, A., Suárez-Figueroa, M.C. "OOPS! (OntOlogy Pitfall Scanner!): An On-line Tool for Ontology Validation." International Journal on Semantic Web and Information Systems, vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 7-34, 2014.
Document Status: DRAFT SPECIFICATION
Validation Status: STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS COMPLETE - EMPIRICAL VALIDATION PENDING
Production Readiness: NOT READY - VALIDATION REQUIRED
Contact: sacha@omyn.ai
Repository: https://gitea/omyn.ai/schema/ontolEDGY-draft
⚠️ DISCLAIMER: This ontology specification is a draft that requires comprehensive validation before production deployment. Use at your own risk for experimental purposes only.