Model Unification in Support of Political Process

Semantic Web Meets eGovernment

Volume

Semantic Web Meets eGovernment

Contents

We are developing techniques for unifying models of business processes that span and integrate organizations. In this paper, we describe our approach and discuss its potential for broader application to decision-making and political process. Key elements of the approach include the following. Participants work with familiar diagrams that the system represents internally in OWL. The system unifies models of analogous processes in a manner where users contribute confirmation and guidance but are not required to provide any particular input. Unified models can be compared, yielding visualizations that crystallize insight and metrics for quantifying alignment. The unification process thus identifies commonality and analyzes differences. This process is therefore well suited to facilitate thorough discussion of policy issues in a manner that fosters creative negotiation and consensus building.