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In discussing our examples, it became clear that
various projects, and methods/technologies, really involve hybrid
strategies of representation.
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Layered strategies: For example, in the KADS knowledge
representation approach, the domain model (in our scenario, a "real
world" domain) was represented using fairly rich semantic
representations. However, the domain model is utilized by a higher-
level inference engine. This inference component is one of a repertoire
of alternatives available in a kind of "Blue Book" catalogue of
inference styles. Thus, commonality and variability are handled quite
differently at the inference/task and domain levels respectively.
Furthermore, the essence of the approach lies in this particular
"layered" strategy and can't be captured well by trying to assign it to one
place in the framework.
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Ensembles: As another example, the FODA domain analysis method
recommends that a number of different workproducts be created.
Some of these, like the feature model, are relatively system-
independent, while others rely more on system modeling types of
representations. As opposed to a layered strategy, this is more of an
"ensemble of representations" strategy. To extend our comparative
framework to entire domain analysis methods, it may be necessary to
separately characterize the multiple representations called out in each
method.
Larry Latour
Sat Oct 7 22:45:23 EDT 1995