Semiotics in Information Systems Engineering

Cover......Page 1
Half-title......Page 3
Title......Page 5
Copyright......Page 6
Dedication......Page 7
Contents......Page 9
Preface......Page 13
1.1 Information and information systems......Page 15
1.2 Problems and challenges in information systems......Page 16
Shameful numbers......Page 17
1.3 Approaches and methods for information systems development......Page 19
1.4 MEASUR: a semiotic approach to information systems......Page 21
1.5 About this book......Page 22
Part one Semiotic framework and methods......Page 25
2.1 Signs and their functions......Page 27
2.2 Semiosis and learning......Page 29
2.3 Semiotics in computing......Page 31
2.4 Semiotics in organisations and information systems......Page 33
3.1.1 Objectivist paradigm......Page 35
3.1.2 Subjectivist paradigm......Page 38
3.2 The semiotic framework......Page 40
3.2.1 Physics......Page 41
3.2.2 Empirics......Page 42
3.2.3 Syntactics......Page 43
3.2.4 Semantics......Page 44
3.2.5 Pragmatics......Page 45
3.2.6 The social level......Page 47
3.3 An example of semiotic analysis......Page 49
4.1 MEASUR......Page 51
4.2 How MEASUR can help in information systems development......Page 53
Semiotic diagnosis......Page 54
Organisation and context valuation......Page 56
Relationships between unit systems......Page 57
System component analysis......Page 58
4.2.2 Systems analysis, design and implementation......Page 60
4.3 Summary......Page 61
5 Knowledge representation and information analysis......Page 63
5.1.2 Semantic primitives......Page 64
5.1.3 Types of knowledge......Page 65
5.2.1 Typical examples......Page 66
5.2.2 Conceptual graphs......Page 68
5.3 Some fundamental issues of information analysis......Page 70
5.4 The role of information analysis......Page 72
6.1.1 Affordances......Page 75
6.1.2 Ontology and some other fundamental notions......Page 77
6.2 NORMA......Page 78
6.2.2 Affordance and ontological dependency......Page 79
6.2.4 Time......Page 81
6.2.6 Generic–specific relationship......Page 82
6.2.8 Graphic representation – ontology chart......Page 83
6.3 Using LEGOL to specify norms......Page 85
6.4 Conducting a Semantic Analysis......Page 87
6.4.1 Understand the problem domain......Page 88
6.4.2 Generating candidate affordances......Page 89
6.4.3 Candidate grouping......Page 90
6.4.4 Ontology charting......Page 92
6.4.5 Norm Analysis......Page 93
6.5 Commentary on Semantic Analysis......Page 94
7.1 Human communication......Page 96
7.2.1 Speech Act Theory......Page 97
7.2.2 Functional approach......Page 100
Standard DL......Page 103
Dyadic DL......Page 104
Dynamic logic approach to deontic logic......Page 105
Impact and applications of deontic logic......Page 107
7.3 Pragmatic aspect of human communication......Page 108
7.4.1 The concept of norms......Page 112
7.4.2 Norms in business organisations......Page 114
7.4.3 Norm Analysis......Page 116
2 Proto-norm Analysis......Page 117
4 Detailed norm specification......Page 118
7.4.4 Norms in computer systems......Page 120
8 The social layer: modelling organisations as information systems......Page 122
The informal information systems......Page 123
The technical information system......Page 124
8.2 The notion of responsibility......Page 125
8.3 An organisational morphology......Page 126
8.4 Modelling the organisation......Page 127
8.5 Summary: requirements for an effective information modelling method......Page 128
Part two Applications......Page 131
9.1 The semantic aspect of databases......Page 133
9.2 Capturing the semantic aspect......Page 134
9.3 Capturing the time aspect......Page 135
9.4 Ontological modelling for conceptualisation......Page 137
9.5 Intentions, propositional attitudes and consequent operations......Page 138
9.6 Other aspects of databases: facts, beliefs, and knowledge......Page 139
10.1.1 Developments in database management systems......Page 147
10.1.2 Semantic temporal databases......Page 150
10.2.1 Defining a semantic template......Page 152
10.2.2 ST for database design......Page 153
10.3 Systems construction......Page 156
10.4.1 Basic syntactic structure......Page 157
Binary operators......Page 159
Unary operators......Page 161
Functions......Page 162
11.1 The Normbase concept......Page 164
11.2.1 The Normbase engine......Page 166
Norm Analyser......Page 167
11.2.2 The semantic temporal database......Page 168
11.2.3 The norm store......Page 169
11.3 Information management with the Normbase system......Page 170
11.4 Using semiotic methods with other approaches......Page 171
11.4.1 Relational database for implementation......Page 172
Object-oriented design......Page 173
From Semantic Analysis to OO design......Page 175
12.1 Background......Page 178
Study problem definition......Page 179
Identify semantic units......Page 180
Classify semantic units......Page 181
Identify ontological dependencies......Page 182
Complete the semantic model......Page 183
Types of norms......Page 185
12.4 System design and implementation in the Normbase approach......Page 188
Queries......Page 189
Keeping historical data......Page 191
Non-destructive update......Page 192
12.5 Discussions and conclusions......Page 193
13.1.1 CONTEST project......Page 194
13.1.2 User requirements......Page 195
13.1.3 Why choose Semantic Analysis......Page 198
13.2 System analysis......Page 200
1 Study problem description......Page 201
3 Group semantic units......Page 202
4 Construct the semantic model......Page 203
13.3 System design......Page 204
13.5 Discussion and conclusions......Page 208
A.1 Definition of ST......Page 210
A.2 Examples of using ST in discourse modelling......Page 211
A.3 Examples of surrogates......Page 213
B.1 Questions and LEGOL statements......Page 215
B.2 Output from the Normbase......Page 217
Bibliography......Page 222
Index......Page 231