[Data-modeling] Processes

[Jack Park]

I'm trying to understand what's going on in a process. Full
disclosure: I come from a background of applying qualitative process
theory (Ken Forbus) to modeling processes. In the theatrical metaphor,
qpt models actors (you have those), relations and states (I don't see
them here), and process rules. In case based reasoning, one wants
sufficient identifying properties so as to select the proper case
(process); knowing, essentially, the preconditions for the process to
occur helps; those preconditions entail relationships among the actors
and their present states. Does it make sense to extend
process.freebase.com in that direction (in the case it's not already
there or I missed something)?

Jack

On Mon, May 11, 2009 at 10:39 AM, Iain Sproat <iainsproat at gmail.com> wrote:
> I've drafted up a (fairly abstract and ambitious) schema for modelling
> Processes at http://process.freebase.com/ and I'd like some comments on it.
>  Narphorium has something similar in his project management base.
> I was initially trying to scheme up industrial and manufacturing processes
> and came up with a basic scheme for that, but I have made some alterations
> to broaden the scope and it might now also be suitable for other processes -
> I've added the nitrogen cycle topic and also Software waterfall Model topic
> as examples.
> As a description of what is going on in the schema:
> Firstly, there is a Process type, e.g. Nitrogen fixation , which has some
> Input and Output properties (these would be typically expect a type of
> material, but to allow for flexibility I'm only going to expect a type of
> Topic)
> A process can be composed of other component processes (for the Nitrogen
> Cycle these would be Nitrogen fixation , decomposition , Nitrification
> etc.).  Parent and component processes are linked with a Process stage CVT .
> I was trying to model the order in which stages of a process occur (e.g.
> decomposition, followed by Nitrification, followed by assimilation) by using
> "previous stage" and "subsequent stage" properties - but that led to a CVT
> within a CVT which the client doesn't agree with.  I've worked around this
> to make Process stage have an Input and Output property, but this means that
> input and outputs both need to be entered twice - once into the Process
> topic and another time into the Process stage CVT - not ideal but it works.
>
> In the Process type there is an "Tool" property which allows for tools,
> machinery, catalysts etc. and the entity which carries out the process to be
> noted.  e.g. Nitrifying bacteria carry out Nitrification, or that Factory Y
> used Tool Z to carry out Process X.
> Finally, there is a parent-child relationship in Process which allows
> general and specific types of processes to be linked.  e.g. The Haber
> Process and Biological Nitrogen Fixation are both more specific processes of
> the general Nitrogen Fixation process.
> I'd welcome constructive feedback that anyone has on this.
> Iain
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