Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A Meta Modelling Approach for Unifying Soft Systems and Information Systems Modelling

  • Conference paper
Methodologies for Developing and Managing Emerging Technology Based Information Systems

  • 104 Accesses

Abstract

This paper presents an approach based on meta-modelling techniques for unifying soft systems and information systems models in information systems development. The object-oriented conceptual modelling language Telos is utilised to specify SSM and other information modelling concepts together with their relationships. As a result, the meta model, which is in the format of Telos classes, represents the unified modelling language. These Telos classes can then be instantiated with objects that represent models of problem domains. These objects inherit all the properties of the classes (i.e. the modelling concepts and their relationships) specified in the meta model. Furthermore, the meta model can be flexibly defiined and extended by the modeller to meet specific requirements of a particular modelling project.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Checkland PB. Soft Systems Methodology and its relevance to the development of information systems. In: [3], pp 1–17

    Google Scholar 

  2. Avison DE, Wood-Harper AT. Multiview: an exploration in information systems development. Blackwell, Oxford, 1990

    Google Scholar 

  3. Stowell F (ed). Information systems provision — the contribution of Soft Systems Methodology. McGraw-Hill, London, 1995

    Google Scholar 

  4. Checkland PB. Systems thinking, systems practice. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, 1981

    Google Scholar 

  5. Galliers R. Soft systems, scenarios, and the planning and development of information systems. Systemist 1992: 14:146–159

    Google Scholar 

  6. Stowell F, West D. Client-led design, a systemic approach to information systems definition. McGraw-Hill, London, 1994

    Google Scholar 

  7. Jayaratna N. Understanding and Evaluating Methodologies, NIMSAD: A Systemic Framework. McGraw-Hill, Maidenhead, 1994

    Google Scholar 

  8. Avison DE, Fitzgerald G. Information Systems Development: Methodologies, Techniques and Tools, Second edition. McGrawHill, London, 1995

    Google Scholar 

  9. Flynn DJ, Diaz OF. Information Modelling, an international perspective. Prentice-Hall, London, 1996

    Google Scholar 

  10. Loucopoulos P, Zicari R (eds). Conceptual modeling, Databases and CASE: an integrated view of information systems development. John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1992

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  11. Checkland PB, Griffin R. Management information systems: a systems view. Journal of Systems Engineering 1970; 1:29–42

    Google Scholar 

  12. Stowell F (ed). Systemist, Special Edition on Information Systems, Volume 14, Issue 3. Word Publications, 1992

    Google Scholar 

  13. Avison DE, Fitzgerald G (eds). Journal of Information Systems, Volume 3, Issue 3. Blackwell. Oxford, 1993

    Google Scholar 

  14. Jayaratna N, Fitzgerald B (eds). Proceedings of the 4th Conference of the British Computer Society Information Systems Methodologies Specialist Group, September 1996, Cork, Ireland, 1996

    Google Scholar 

  15. CCTA (Central Computer and Telecommunication Agency). SSADM Version 4 Reference Manual: Feasibility — Soft Systems Methodology. CCTA, Norwich, 1991

    Google Scholar 

  16. Prior R. Deriving data flow diagrams from a “soft systems” conceptual model. Systemist 1990; 12:65–75

    Google Scholar 

  17. Savage A, Mingers J. A framework for linking Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) and Jackson System Development (JSD). Information Systems Journal 1996; 6:109–129

    Article  Google Scholar 

  18. Checkland PB. SSM in information systems design: history and some current issues. Systemist 1992; 14: 90–92

    Google Scholar 

  19. Miles RK. Combining “soft” and “hard” systems practice: grafting or embedding? Journal of Applied Systems Analysis 1988; 15:55–60

    Google Scholar 

  20. Mingers J. Using Soft Systems Methodology in the design of Information Systems. In: 131, pp 18–46

    Google Scholar 

  21. Checkland PB, Howell S. Information, systems and information systems: Making sense of the field. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, 1998

    Google Scholar 

  22. Gregory F, Merali Y. Inductions, modality and conceptual modelling. Warwick Business School Research Bureau Research Paper 79. Warwick University, 1993

    Google Scholar 

  23. Mylopoulos J, Borgida A, Jarke M, Koubarakis M. Telos: a language for representing knowledge about information systems. ACM Transactions on Information Systems 1990; 8:325–362

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Kottemann JE, Konsynski BR. Dynamic metasystems for information systems development. In: Proceedings of the 5th International Conference on Information Systems, Tucon, Arizona, 1984, pp 187–204

    Google Scholar 

  25. Jeusfeld MA, Jarke M, Nissen HW, Staudt M. ConceptBase: Managing Conceptual Models about Information Systems. In: Bernus P, Mertins K, Schmidt G (eds) Handbook on Architectures of Information Systems. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1998 (in press)

    Google Scholar 

  26. Attardi G, Simi M. Consistency and Completeness of Omega, a Logic for knowledge representation. In: Proceedings of the 7th IJCAI Conference, Vancouver, 1981, pp 504–510

    Google Scholar 

  27. Brachman RJ, Borgida A, McGuinness DL, Patel-Schneider PF, Resnick LA. The CLASSIC Knowledge Representation System, or, KL-ONE: The next generation. In: Proceedings of the International Conference on Fifth Generation Computer Systems, Tokyo, 1992, pp 1036–1043

    Google Scholar 

  28. Minsky M (ed). Semantic Inforrnation Processing. MIT Press, Cambridge, MA, 1968

    Google Scholar 

  29. Nilsson NJ. Principles of artificial intelligence. Springer-Verlag, Berlin, 1982

    Book  MATH  Google Scholar 

  30. Brodie ML, Mylopoulos J, Schmidt JW (eds). On conceptual modelling: Perspectives from Artificial Intelligence, Databases, and Programming Languages. Springer Verlag, New York, 1984

    MATH  Google Scholar 

  31. Jarke M (ed). ConceptBase V4.1 User Manual. RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany, 1995

    Google Scholar 

  32. Dang QC. A soft-systems-conceived model with knowledge representation for information systems in the office environment. PhD thesis, South Bank University, London, 1997

    Google Scholar 

  33. Jackson MA. Systems Development. Prentice Hall, Hemel Hempstead, 1983

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Computing and Information Systems, University of Paisley, Paisley, PA1 2BE, Scotland

    Quan C. Dang

  2. School of Computing, Information Systems and Mathematics, South bank University, London, SE1 0AA, England

    Dilip Patel & Shushma Patel

Authors
  1. Quan C. Dang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Dilip Patel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Shushma Patel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Salford, Manchester, UK

    Trevor Wood-Harper PhD, MBCS, MA  & Bob Wood MSc, BSc, MPhil  & 

  2. University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia

    Trevor Wood-Harper PhD, MBCS, MA

  3. Sheffield Hallam University, Sheffield, UK

    Nimal Jayaratna PhD, MSc, MBCS, MIFIP

  4. Curtin University, Perth, Australia

    Nimal Jayaratna PhD, MSc, MBCS, MIFIP

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1999 Springer-Verlag London

About this paper

Cite this paper

Dang, Q.C., Patel, D., Patel, S. (1999). A Meta Modelling Approach for Unifying Soft Systems and Information Systems Modelling. In: Wood-Harper, T., Jayaratna, N., Wood, B. (eds) Methodologies for Developing and Managing Emerging Technology Based Information Systems. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-3629-3_4

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-3629-3_4

  • Publisher Name: Springer, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-85233-079-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-3629-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation