Semantic Annotation for Process Models: - Department of Computer ...

9.4. DISCUSSION ON RESULTS OF THE VALIDATION 161
subActivity-transitive-negativelysatisfiesSG can be used in the automatic goal
annotation. In our method of "calculate the possible goal annotation from the subActivities"
in the goal annotation, we synthesize the three inferences in the algorithms.
Anyway, inference mechanisms should be taken into account in the development of the
annotation tool for the sake of semi-automatic annotation.
9.4.4 Semantic validation
Some SWRL rules can be applied to validate semantic representations in both annotated
and original process models. Two examples are provided here:
• When QRule-Activity-hassamePostcondition or QRule-ActivityhassamePrecondition
is executed, the results list a set of Activities with same
pre/postcondition. Through the observation, we can conclude two situations:
1. The results are caused by the way of modeling WorkflowPattern: in an
EEML model, the logic connection "join" or "choice" is modeled by an EEML
Milestone, and the annotated workflow branches from this connection share a
same GPO Condition ("eeml:milestone" is mapped to "gpo:condition" in the
meta-model annotation). Two evaluation results are therefore brought out:
a) The EEML model should be improved by changing the way of modeling
to specify the semantics of different conditions. b) In the annotation model,
conditions for different branches should be separate.
2. Wrong model or redundant Activities with the same Conditions in the original
models.
• QRule-Activity-hasOutput-mappedto-sameonto-Activity-hasInput
is usually used to navigate the information flow between Activities, which
also can be used for the semantic validation. For instance, two different
Activities from PM B2 have a same local name "Generate_delivery_protocol",
and the outputs of these two Activities are mapped to the same concept
"Customer_Delivery_Terms" in the annotation model. According to the
query results from QRule-Activity-hasOutput-mappedto-sameonto-
Activity-hasInput, the outputs are supposed to be passed to the Activity
"Issue_invoice" as the input. When we check the original model, one of
the two Activities (named with "Generate_delivery_protocol") is a sub-
Activity of "Deliver_items_to_franchisees", and it is indeed followed by the
Activity "Issue_invoice" in the original model. However, the other "Generate_delivery_protocol"
which is a sub-Activity of "Deliver_items_to_shops"
has no link to "Issue_invoice" in the original model. Such observations can be
concluded as follows:
1. Two Activities "Generate_delivery_protocol" could be functionally implemented
by one component.
2. The annotation of the outputs of the two Activities should be specified distinctively.