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

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The proposed approach has been implemented in a prototype annotation tool —
ProSEAT to facilitate the annotation process. Procedures of applying the semantic annotation
approach with the tool are described through exemplar study. The annotation
approach and the prototype tool are evaluated using a quality framework. Furthermore,
the applicability of the annotation results is validated by going through a process knowledge
management application. The Semantic Web Rule Language (SWRL) is applied
in the application demonstration. We argue that the ontology-based annotation approach
combined with the Semantic Web technology is a feasible approach to reconcile
semantic heterogeneity in the process knowledge management. Limitations and future
work are discussed after concluding this research work.
The contributions of this thesis are summarized as follows. First, a general process
ontology is proposed for unifying process representations at a high level of abstraction.
Second, a semantic annotation framework is introduced to describe process knowledge
systematically. Third, ontology-based annotation methods are elaborated and formalized.
Fourth, an annotation system, utilizing the developed formal methods, is designed
and implemented. Fifth, a process knowledge management system is outlined as the
platform for manipulating the annotation results. Moreover, applying results of the
approach is demonstrated through a process model integration example.