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Formalising natural language specifications using a cognitive linguistic/configuration based approach
- Source :
- EDOC
- Publication Year :
- 2015
- Publisher :
- Elsevier BV, 2015.
-
Abstract
- This paper addresses the problem of transforming business specifications written in natural language into formal models suitable for use in information systems development. It proposes a method for transforming controlled natural language specifications based on the Semantics of Business Vocabulary and Business Rules standard. This approach is unique in combining techniques from Model-Driven Engineering (MDE), Cognitive Linguistics, and Knowledge-based Configuration, which allows the reliable semantic processing of specifications and integration with existing MDE tools to improve productivity, quality, and time-to-market in software development. The method first learns the vocabulary of the specification from glossary-like definitions then parses the rules of the specification and outputs the resulting formal SBVR model. Both aspects of the method are tested separately, with the system correctly learning 98% of the vocabulary and correctly interpreting 98% of the rules of an SBVR SE based example. Finally, the proposed method is compared to state-of-the-art approaches for creating formal models from natural language specifications, arguing that it meets the criteria necessary to fulfil the three goals of (1) shifting control of specification to non-technical business experts, (2) reducing the manual effort involved in formalising specifications, and (3) supporting business experts in creating well-formed sets of business vocabularies and rules. HighlightsA method for deep processing of natural language business specifications is proposed.The method is based on Cognitive Linguistics and Knowledge-based Configuration.The method acquires vocabulary from a business glossary and parses business rules.The vocabulary acquisition achieves an accuracy of 96%.The semantic analysis of rules achieves an accuracy of 98%.
- Subjects :
- MDE
Vocabulary
Computer science
MDA
media_common.quotation_subject
computer.software_genre
Business domain
business rules
Argument
controlled natural language
Formal specification
Information system
Semantics of Business Vocabulary and Business Rules
natural language processing
natural language
media_common
Programming language
business.industry
Business rule
Artifact-centric business process model
Object language
Software development
Natural language programming
SBVR
language.human_language
Universal Networking Language
Controlled natural language
Hardware and Architecture
language
business vocabulary
Artificial intelligence
Computational linguistics
business
computer
Software
Natural language
Natural language processing
Information Systems
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 03064379
- Volume :
- 54
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Information Systems
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....5fc888c5fc6bb521c06e07aacb66c893
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.is.2015.04.003