System Model

A System Model is an abstract composite entity that represents/simulates a system architecture for some aspect of a referent system.

• AKA: Systems Model, System Representation, Conceptualization/Representation.
• Context:
  • It can (typically) be produced by System Modeling Task.
  • It can (typically) represent System Structure through system component diagrams and system architectural views.
  • It can (typically) capture System Behavior through system state diagrams and system behavioral views.
  • It can (typically) describe System Interface via system interface diagrams and system interaction views.
  • It can (typically) define System Process using system process diagrams and system workflow views.
  • It can (often) be composed of System Reference Entities and some of the System Relations between them.
  • It can (often) include a System Model Mapping Function that maps external system objects into the system model.
  • It can (often) help an Agent to Predict something about system behavior.
  • It can (often) be measured in terms of System Model Accuracy and can be system model ambiguous.
  • ...
  • It can range from being an Informal System Model (such as an informal system specification) to being a Formal System Model (such as a system ontology), depending on its system model formalization level.
  • It can range from being a Physical System Model to being an Abstract System Model, depending on its system model materiality.
  • It can range from being an Elegant System Model to being a Crude System Model, depending on its system model precision level.
  • It can range from being a Simple System Model to being a System Metamodel, which may be a system modeling language, depending on its system model abstraction level.
  • ...
• Examples:
  • Physical System Models, such as:
    • Planetary System Models, demonstrating system structure representation of celestial systems.
    • Geographic System Models, such as:
      • Physical Map System Models, representing geographical system structure through terrain features.
      • Climate System Models, capturing weather system behavior through atmospheric dynamic simulations.
    • Material System Models, such as:
      • Chemical Element System Models, representing periodic system structure through atomic property organization.
      • Molecular System Models, demonstrating chemical system interfaces through molecular bond representations.
  • Mathematical System Models, such as:
    • Statistical System Models, capturing probabilistic system behavior through statistical equations.
    • Differential Equation System Models, representing dynamic system processes through mathematical formalisms.
    • Logical System Models, such as:
      • Logical Data System Models, defining information system structure through entity relationships.
      • Discrete System Models, capturing digital system behavior through state transition diagrams.
  • Semantic System Models, such as:
    • Ontology System Models, representing knowledge system structure through concept relations.
    • Process System Models, defining workflow system processes through activity sequences.
    • Design System Models, such as:
      • Software System Models, capturing software system structure through UML diagrams.
      • Enterprise System Models, describing business system interfaces through organizational charts.
  • ...
• Counter-Examples:
  • Logical Proofs, which demonstrate logical truths rather than represent systems.
  • Physical Entitys such as molecules, which are actual system objects rather than system representations.
  • Document Structure Models, which describe documentation organization rather than actual system architectures.
• See: Knowledge Representation, System Modeling Task, System Analysis, System Test.

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References

2014

• http://www.w3.org/2013/06/model-ref-20130418.html
  • A "model" refers to an abstract description of the composition and relative dynamic behaviour of the sub-parts of some system

2009

• (Wikipedia, 2009) ⇒ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model_(physical)
  • A physical model is a smaller or larger physical copy of an object. The object being modelled may be small (for example, an atom) or large (for example, the Solar System).
• (Wikipedia, 2009) ⇒ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model_(science)
  • Scientific modeling is the process of generating abstract, conceptual, graphical and or mathematical models. Science offers a growing collection of methods, and theory about all kinds of specialized scientific modeling.
• (Wikipedia, 2009) ⇒ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model_(logic)
  • In mathematics, model theory is the study of (classes of) mathematical structures such as groups, fields, graphs or even models of set theory using tools from mathematical logic. Model theory has close ties to algebra and universal algebra.
• (Wikipedia, 2009) ⇒ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model_(model_theory)
  • In universal algebra and in model theory, a structure is a type of formal interpretation which consists of an underlying set along with a collection of finitary functions and relations which are defined on it. ...

1998

• (Kohavi & Provost, 1998) ⇒ Ron Kohavi, and Foster Provost. (1998). “Glossary of Terms.” In: Machine Leanring 30(2-3).
  • Model: A structure and corresponding interpretation that summarizes or partially summarizes a set of data, for description or prediction. Most inductive algorithms generate models that can then be used as classifiers, as regressors, as patterns for human consumption, and/or as input to subsequent stages of the KDD process.

1993

• (Gruber, 1993) ⇒ Tom Gruber. (1993). “A translation approach to portable ontology specifications." Knowledge Acquisition, 2(5):199--220.
  • A conceptualization is an abstract, simplified view of the world that we wish to represent for some purpose. Every knowledge base, knowledge-based system, or knowledge-level agent is committed to some conceptualization, explicitly or implicitly. An ontology is an explicit specification of a conceptualization.".

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