Enhancing Layered Enterprise Architecture Development Through Conceptual Structures

Abstract

Enterprise Architecture (EA) enables organisations to align their information technology with their business needs. Layered EA Development (LEAD) enhances EA by using meta-models made up of layered meta-objects, interconnected by semantic relations. Organisations can use these meta-models to benefit from a novel, ontology-based, object-oriented way of EA thinking and working. Furthermore, the metamodels are directed graphs that can be read linearly from a Top Down View (TDV) or a Bottom Up View (BUV) perspective. Conceptual Structures through CG-FCA (where CG refers to Conceptual Graph and FCA to Formal Concept Analysis) is thus used to traverse the TDV and BUV directions using the LEAD Industry 4.0 meta-model as an illustration. The motivation for CG-FCA is stated. It is discovered that CG-FCA: a) identifies any unwanted cycles in the 'top-down' or 'bottomup' directions, and b) conveniently arranges the many pathways by which the meta-models can be traversed and understood in a Formal Concept Lattice. Through the LEAD meta-model exemplar, the wider appeal of CG-FCA and directed graphs are also identified.

Active Semantic Relations in Layered Enterprise Architecture Development

“…The formal concepts can then appear in a Formal Concept Lattice (FCL). The CG-FCA software based on CGtoF CA thus facilitates an improved understanding of LEAD metamodels in tandem with highlighting human errors in the manual modelling process [1,9]. Further to that previous work, and in search of the metaobjects' dependence on each other, the proposed algorithm shown in Fig.…”

“…We examined the semantics in the narrative of the relations and identified which metaobject was directing the other and vice versa. We then rebuilt the model by reviewing each concept in turn to remove semantic cycles [9]. Where both a direct and indirect pathway exists between two metaobjects, we removed the former, as the latter illustrates the mediating metaobjects.…”

“…This duality is intended in many EA metamodels, including LEAD. That is because it reveals how each metaobject views itself in relation to each other directly, and indirectly through intermediate metaobjects; hence LEAD metamodels are two-way directed graphs [9].…”

“…This algorithm can also apply to other directed graph triples, including LEAD metamodels as illustrated by Fig. 1 [9]. The formal concepts can then appear in a Formal Concept Lattice (FCL).…”

“…Enterprise Architecture (EA) is a comprehensive approach to the documentation and understanding of organisational composition to promote alignment of its business, information and technology assets [9]. The Layered Enterprise Architecture Development (LEAD) Ontology includes a metamodel that is underpinned by building blocks consisting of 91 metaobjects organised in layers and sub-layers [7,14].…”