Abstract
The work on Conceptual Modelling performed by our group at PUC-Rio is surveyed, covering four mutually dependent research topics. Regarding databases as a component of information systems, we extended the scope of the Entity-Relationship model, so as to encompass facts, events and agents in a three-schemata specification method employing a logic programming formalism. Next we proceeded to render the specifications executable, by utilizing backward-chaining planners to satisfy the agents’ goals through sequences of fact-modification events. Thanks to the adoption of this plan-recognition / plan-generation paradigm, it became possible to treat both business-oriented and fictional narrative genres. To guide our conceptual modelling approach, we identified four semiotic relations, associated with the four master tropes that have been claimed to provide a system to fully grasp the world conceptually.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
ANSI/X3/SPARK Study Group on Data Base Management Systems. Interim Report. FDT - Bulletin of ACM SIGMOD 7(2) (1975)
Barbosa, S.D.J., Breitman, K.K., Casanova, M.A., Furtado, A.L.: Similarity and Analogy over Application Domains. In: Proceedings of the Brazilian Symposium on Data Bases, João Pessoa, Brazil, pp. 238–254 (2007)
Barbosa, S.D.J., Breitman, K.K., Casanova, M.A., Furtado, A.L.: The Semiotic Web. In: Proceedings of the Second Workshop of the Brazilian Institute for Web Science Research. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2011)
Barbosa, S.D.J., Furtado, A.L., Casanova, M.A.: A decision-making process for digital storytelling. In: Proceedings of the IX Brazilian Symposium on Games and Digital Entertainment. Florianópolis, Brazil, pp. 1–11 (2010)
Barbosa, S.D.J., Lima, E.S., Furtado, A.L., Feijó, B.: Early Cases of Bertillon, the Logic Programming Sleuth. In: Proceedings of the XII Brazilian Symposium on Games and Digital Entertainment, pp. 7–16 (2013)
Barbosa, S.D.J., Silva, B.S.: Interação Humano-Computador. Rio de Janeiro, Campus/Elsevier (2010)
Breitman, K.K., Barbosa, S.D.J., Casanova, M.A., Furtado, A.L.: Using analogy to promote conceptual modeling reuse. In: Proceedings of the Workshop on Leveraging Applications of Formal Methods, Verification and Validation, Poitiers, France, pp. 111–122 (2007a)
Breitman, K.K., Barbosa, S.J., Casanova, M.A., Furtado, A.L.: Conceptual Modeling by Analogy and Metaphor. In: Proceedings of the ACM Conference on Information and Knowledge Management, Lisbon, Portugal, pp. 865–868 (2007b)
Burke, K.: A Grammar of Motives. University of California Press (1969)
Casanova, M.A., Barbosa, S.D.J., Breitman, K.K., Furtado, A.L.: Generalization and blending in the generation of entity-relationship schemas by analogy. In: Proceedings of the International Conference on Enterprise Information Systems, Barcelona, Spain, pp. 43–48 (2008)
Casanova, M.A., Furtado, A.L.: An Information System Environment based on Plan Generation. In: Proceedings of the Working Conference on Cooperating Knowledge Based Systems. Keele, UK (1990)
Chandler, D.: Semiotics: The Basics. Routledge, London (2002)
Chen, P.P.: Entity-Relationship Modeling: Historical Events, Future Trends, and Lessons Learned. In: Software Pioneers. Springer (2002)
Ciarlini, A.E.M., Barbosa, S.D.J., Casanova, M.A., Furtado, A.L.: Event relations in plot-based plot composition. In: Proceedings of the Brazilian Symposium on Computer Games and Digital Entertainment, Belo Horizonte, Brazil, pp. 31–40 (2008)
Ciarlini, A.E.M., Casanova, M.A., Furtado, A.L., Veloso, P.A.S.: Modeling interactive storytelling genres as application domains. Journal of Intelligent Information Systems 35(3), 31–40 (2010)
Ciarlini, A.E.M., Feijo, B., Furtado, A.L.: An Integrated Tool for Modelling, Generating and Exhibiting Narratives. In: Proceedings of the AI, Simulation and Planning in High Autonomy Systems, Lisboa, Portugal, pp. 150–154 (2002)
Ciarlini, A.E.M., Furtado, A.L.: Simulating the Interaction of Database Agents. In: Proceedings of the Database and Expert Systems Applications Conference, Florence, Italy, pp. 499–510 (1999a)
Ciarlini, A.E.M., Furtado, A.L.: Interactive multistage simulation of goal-driven agents. Journal of the Brazilian Computer Society 2(6), 21–32 (1999b)
Ciarlini, A.E.M., Furtado, A.L.: Understanding and Simulating Narratives in the Context of Information Systems. In: Spaccapietra, S., March, S.T., Kambayashi, Y. (eds.) ER 2002. LNCS, vol. 2503, pp. 291–306. Springer, Heidelberg (2002)
Ciarlini, A.E.M., Furtado, A.L.: Towards a Plan-based Learning Environment. In: Proceedings of the PGL Database Research Conference, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2003)
Ciarlini, A.E.M., Pozzer, C.T., Furtado, A.L., Feijo, B.: A logic-based tool for interactive generation and dramatization of stories. In: Proceedings of the ACM-SIGCHI International Conference on Advances in Computer Entertainment Technology, Valencia, Spain, pp. 133–140 (2005)
Ciarlini, A.E.M., Veloso, P.A.S., Furtado, A.L.: A formal framework for modelling at the behavioural level. In: Information Modeling and Knowledge Bases XII, pp. 107–122. IOS Press (2000)
Culler, J.: The Pursuit of Signs: Semiotics, Literature, Deconstruction. Routledge (1981)
Fauconnier, G., Turner, M.: Conceptual projection and middle spaces. Tech. Rep. 9401, Univ. California, San Diego (1994)
Fikes, R., Nilsson, N.: STRIPS: A new approach to the application of theorem proving to problem solving. Artificial Intelligence 2(3-4), 189–208 (1971)
Furtado, A.L.: Analogy by generalization and the quest of the grail. ACM SIGPLAN Notices 27(1), 105–113 (1992)
Furtado, A.L.: Narratives and temporal databases: An interdisciplinary perspective. In: Chen, P.P., Akoka, J., Kangassalu, H., Thalheim, B. (eds.) Conceptual Modeling. LNCS, vol. 1565, pp. 73–86. Springer, Heidelberg (1999)
Furtado, A.L.: Narratives over real-life and fictional domains. In: Proceedings of the Brazilian Symposium on Data Bases, Brasília, Brazil, pp. 4–12 (2004)
Furtado, A.L.: IDB - "An environment for experimenting with intelligent database-resident information systems". T.R. 11, Pontifícia Universidade Católica (2011)
Furtado, A.L., Breitman, K.K., Casanova, M.A., Barbosa, S.D.J.: Applying Analogy to Schema Generation. Revista Brasileira de Sistemas de Informação 1, 1–8 (2008)
Furtado, A.L., Casanova, M.A.: Updating Relational Views. In: Query Processing in Database Systems. Springer, New York (1985)
Furtado, A.L., Casanova, M.A.: Plan and Schedule Generation over Temporal Databases. In: Proceedings of the International Conference on Entity-Relationship Approach, Lausanne, Switzerland, pp. 235–248 (1990)
Furtado, A.L., Casanova, M.A., Barbosa, S.D.J., Breitman, K.K.: Analysis and Reuse of Plots Using Similarity and Analogy. In: Proceedings of the International Conference on Conceptual Modeling, Barcelona, Spain, pp. 355–368 (2008)
Furtado, A.L., Casanova, M.A., Breitman, K.K., Barbosa, S.D.J.: A Frame Manipulation Algebra for ER Logical Stage Modeling. In: Proceedings of the International Conference on Conceptual Modeling, Gramado, Brazil, pp. 9–24 (2009)
Furtado, A.L., Ciarlini, A.E.M.: Plots of Narratives over Temporal Databases. In: Proceedings of the International Conference and Workshop on Database and Expert Systems Applications, Toulouse, France, pp. 590–595 (1997)
Furtado, A.L., Ciarlini, A.E.M.: Operational Characterization of Genre in Literary and Real-life Domains. In: Proceedings of the Conceptual Modeling Conference, Paris, France, pp. 460–474 (1999)
Furtado, A.L., Ciarlini, A.E.M.: Generating Narratives from Plots using Schema Information. In: Proceedings of the International Workshop on Applications of Natural Language for Information Systems, Versailles, France, pp. 17–29 (2000a)
Furtado, A.L., Ciarlini, A.E.M.: The plan recognition / plan generation paradigm. In: Information Engineering: State of the Art and Research Themes. Springer, London (2000b)
Furtado, A.L., Ciarlini, A.E.M.: Constructing Libraries of Typical Plans. In: Proceedings of the Conference on Advanced Information Systems Engineering, Interlaken, Switzerland, pp. 124–139 (2001)
Furtado, A.L., Ciarlini, A.E.M.: Cognitive and affective motivation in conceptual modelling. Revista Colombiana de Computación 3(2) (2002)
Furtado, A.L., Kerschberg, L.: An Algebra of Quotient Relations. In: Proceedings of the ACM SIGMOD International Conference on Management of Data, Toronto, Canada, pp. 1–8 (1977)
Hemerly, A.S., Casanova, M.A., Furtado, A.L.: Cooperative behaviour through request modification. In: Proceedings of the International Conference on Entity-Relationship Approach, San Mateo, CA, USA, pp. 607–621 (1991)
Hemerly, A.S., Casanova, M.A., Furtado, A.L.: Exploiting User Models to Avoid Misconstruals. In: Nonstandard Queries and Nonstandard Answers: Studies in Logic and Computation, pp. 73–97. Oxford University Press (1994)
Jakobson, R.: Closing statements: Linguistics and poetics. In: Sebeok, T.A. (ed.) Style in Language. MIT Press (1960)
Karlsson, B., Barbosa, S.D.J., Furtado, A.L., Casanova, M.A.: A plot-manipulation algebra to support digital storytelling. In: Proceedings of the International Conference on Entertainment Computing, Paris, France, pp. 132–144 (2009)
Kautz, H.A.: A formal theory of plan recognition and its implementation. In: Reasoning about Plans. Morgan-Kaufmann (1991)
Morris, C.W.: Foundations of the Theory of Signs. Chicago University Press, Chicago (1938/1970)
Nunes, B.P., Casanova, M.A.: A Frame-Based System for Automatic Classification of Semi-Structured Data. Revista de Informática Teórica e Aplicada 16, 87–92 (2010)
Peirce, C.S.: The Essential Peirce, vol. 2. Peirce edition Project. Indiana University Press (1998)
Propp, V.: Morphology of the Folktale. Laurence, S. (trans.). University of Texas Press (1968)
Ramus, P.: Rhetoricae Distinctiones in Quintilianum. In: Murphy, J.J. (ed.) C. Newlands (trans.). Southern Illinois University, Carbondale (2010)
Santos, C.S., Neuhold, E.J., Furtado, A.L.: A Data Type Approach to the Entity-Relationship Model. In: Proceedings of the International Conference on the Entity-Relationship Approach to Systems Analysis and Design, Los Angeles, USA, pp. 103–119 (1979)
Saussure, F.: Cours de Linguistique Générale. In: Bally, C., et al. (eds.) Payot (1995)
Willensky, R.: Planning and Understanding–a Computational Approach to Human Reasoning. Addison-Wesley (1983)
Vico, G.: The New Science. T.G. Bergin, M.H. Finch (trans). Cornell University Press, Ithaca (1968)
Winston, M.E., Chaffin, R., Herrmann, D.: A taxonomy of part-whole relations. Cognitive Science 11(4) (1987)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer International Publishing Switzerland
About this paper
Cite this paper
Furtado, A.L., Casanova, M.A., Barbosa, S.D.J. (2014). A Semiotic Approach to Conceptual Modelling. In: Yu, E., Dobbie, G., Jarke, M., Purao, S. (eds) Conceptual Modeling. ER 2014. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 8824. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12206-9_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-12206-9_1
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-12205-2
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-12206-9
eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)