An Open Platform for Modeling Method Conceptualization: The OMiLAB Digital Ecosystem

Abstract

This paper motivates, describes, demonstrates in use, and evaluates the Open Models Laboratory (OMiLAB)-an open digital ecosystem designed to help one conceptualize and operationalize conceptual modeling methods. The OMiLAB ecosystem, which a generalized understanding of "model value" motivates, targets research and education stakeholders who fulfill various roles in a modeling method's lifecycle. While we have many reports on novel modeling methods and tools for various domains, we lack knowledge on conceptualizing such methods via a full-fledged dedicated open ecosystem and a methodology that facilitates entry points for novices and an open innovation space for experienced stakeholders. This gap continues due to the lack of an open process and platform for 1) conducting research in the field of modeling method design, 2) developing agile modeling tools and model-driven digital products, and 3) experimenting with and disseminating such methods and related prototypes. OMiLAB incorporates principles, practices, procedures, tools, and services required to address the issues above since it focuses on being the operational deployment for a conceptualization and operationalization process built on several pillars: 1) a granularly defined "modeling method" concept whose building blocks one can customize for the domain of choice, 2) an "agile modeling method engineering" framework that helps one quickly prototype modeling tools, 3) a model-aware "digital product design lab", and 4) dissemination channels for reaching a global community. In this paper, we demonstrate and evaluate the OMiLAB in research with two selected application cases for domain-and case-specific requirements. Besides these exemplary cases, OMiLAB has proven to effectively satisfy requirements that almost 50 modeling methods raise and, thus, to support researchers in designing novel modeling methods, developing tools, and disseminating outcomes. We also measured OMiLAB's educational impact.

Agile Development of PHP Websites: A Model-Aware Approach

“…Agile principles, as encouraged by [12], are necessary to be coupled with Modeling Method Engineering, considering method development backlogs based on the building blocks defined in [4]. OMiLAB (Open Models Laboratory) was introduced there as a facilitator to domain-specific modeling methods development (acting as deployment environment and architecture)with more details given in [13]. OMiLAB resources such as AMME and ADOxx and the ADOxx-to-RDF model export plug-in are employed in this work to crystalize the notion of "technology-specific modeling".…”

Conceptual Modeling Education as a “Design Problem”

“…for tailoring their "knowledge schema" for a selected purpose or desired specificity, including a plug-in for converting any types of models to RDF graphs [34]. Another key resource is the Digital Product lab instance demonstrating the use of models as an intermediate knowledge layer between Design Thinking scenes and cyber-physical systems [12]. International OMiLAB nodes make such resources and infrastructures available to regional communities for both research and education purposessee the developments of OMiLAB Korea [35].…”

“…The remainder of the article is structured as follows: in the next Section we will present the design problem context, followed in Section 3 by an inventory of students' oversimplified understandingfrom which teaching requirements are derived and mapped on possible treatments in Section 4. In Section 5 we refer to one key enabler for the proposed position statementsthe OMiLAB (Open Models Laboratory) digital ecosystem [11], [12] which successfully supports the holistic understanding of "model value" through an open community approach and open use educational artifacts.…”

An ADOxx Based Environment for Problem Based Learning in Manufacturing Systems Design

“…The laboratory hours are dedicated to the team-based problem solving and the course hours to analyse the solution, fix the acquired knowledge and direct the individual study for the preparation of the new practical hour. The ADOxx environment [4], developed by the OMiLAB laboratory [5] of the University of Vienna, was used to implement the tools to support the practical activities. The environment allows the organisation of activity on three levels [6]:…”