TOVE Project
Encyclopedia
The TOVE project, acronym of TOronto Virtual Enterprise project is a project to develop an ontological framework
for enterprise integration
(EI) based on and suited for enterprise modeling. In the beginning of the 1990s it was initiated by Mark E. Fox and others at the University of Toronto
.
The original goal of the project was fourfold:
Eventually the ungoing project aims to develop a set of integrated ontologies for the modelling of both commercial and public enterprises.
The model according to Ted Williams (2000) is "multi-level, spanning conceptual, generic and applications layers. The generic and applications layers all also stratified and composed of micro theories spanning, for example, activities, time, resources, constraints, etc. At the generic level. Critical to the TOVE effort is enabling the easy instantiation of the model for a particular enterprise TOVE models will be automatically created as a by product of the enterprise design function". At the turn of the millennium TOVE has been to model a computer manufacturer and an aerospace engineering firm.
The TOVE enterprise models is presented by Fox et al. (1995) as second generation knowledge engineering
approach. A first generation knowledge engineering approach "is extracting rules from experts, while second generation is ontology engineering
: They develop comprehensive ontologies for all the aspects of an organization they find necessary (necessity is decided based on competency requirements to the model, i.e., what are the questions the model will have to answer, either by ordinary look-up or by deduction). The background of TOVE is clearly knowledge engineering and to some degree Computer Integrated Manufacturing
".
Ontology (computer science)
In computer science and information science, an ontology formally represents knowledge as a set of concepts within a domain, and the relationships between those concepts. It can be used to reason about the entities within that domain and may be used to describe the domain.In theory, an ontology is...
for enterprise integration
Enterprise integration
Enterprise integration is a technical field of Enterprise Architecture, which focused on the study of topics such as system interconnection, electronic data interchange, product data exchange and distributed computing environments....
(EI) based on and suited for enterprise modeling. In the beginning of the 1990s it was initiated by Mark E. Fox and others at the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
.
The original goal of the project was fourfold:
- Create a shared representationRepresentation (systemics)Representation, from the most general and abstract systemic perspective, relates to a role or function or a property of an abstract or real object, relation or changes.For example,* an ambassador or a sport team may represent its nation....
or ontologyOntology (computer science)In computer science and information science, an ontology formally represents knowledge as a set of concepts within a domain, and the relationships between those concepts. It can be used to reason about the entities within that domain and may be used to describe the domain.In theory, an ontology is...
of the enterprise that each agent in the distributed enterprise can jointly understand and use - Define the meaning of each descriptionDescriptionDescription is one of four rhetorical modes , along with exposition, argumentation, and narration. Each of the rhetorical modes is present in a variety of forms and each has its own purpose and conventions....
or semanticsSemanticsSemantics is the study of meaning. It focuses on the relation between signifiers, such as words, phrases, signs and symbols, and what they stand for, their denotata.... - Implement the semantics in a set of axiomAxiomIn traditional logic, an axiom or postulate is a proposition that is not proven or demonstrated but considered either to be self-evident or to define and delimit the realm of analysis. In other words, an axiom is a logical statement that is assumed to be true...
s that will enable TOVE to automatically deduce the answer to many "common sense" questions about the enterpriseBusinessA business is an organization engaged in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers. Businesses are predominant in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and administered to earn profit to increase the wealth of their owners. Businesses may also be not-for-profit...
, and - Define a symbologySymbologySymbology concerns the study of symbols.Symbology may also refer to:-Academics:* Semiotics, study of signs and symbols* Iconography, branch of art history which studies images...
for depicting a concept in a graphical context
Eventually the ungoing project aims to develop a set of integrated ontologies for the modelling of both commercial and public enterprises.
The model according to Ted Williams (2000) is "multi-level, spanning conceptual, generic and applications layers. The generic and applications layers all also stratified and composed of micro theories spanning, for example, activities, time, resources, constraints, etc. At the generic level. Critical to the TOVE effort is enabling the easy instantiation of the model for a particular enterprise TOVE models will be automatically created as a by product of the enterprise design function". At the turn of the millennium TOVE has been to model a computer manufacturer and an aerospace engineering firm.
The TOVE enterprise models is presented by Fox et al. (1995) as second generation knowledge engineering
Knowledge engineering
Knowledge engineering was defined in 1983 by Edward Feigenbaum, and Pamela McCorduck as follows:At present, it refers to the building, maintaining and development of knowledge-based systems...
approach. A first generation knowledge engineering approach "is extracting rules from experts, while second generation is ontology engineering
Ontology engineering
Ontology engineering in computer science and information science is a new field, which studies the methods and methodologies for building ontologies: formal representations of a set of concepts within a domain and the relationships between those concepts....
: They develop comprehensive ontologies for all the aspects of an organization they find necessary (necessity is decided based on competency requirements to the model, i.e., what are the questions the model will have to answer, either by ordinary look-up or by deduction). The background of TOVE is clearly knowledge engineering and to some degree Computer Integrated Manufacturing
Computer Integrated Manufacturing
Computer-integrated manufacturing is the manufacturing approach of using computers to control the entire production process. This integration allows individual processes to exchange information with each other and initiate actions...
".
Further reading
- M.S. Fox, "The TOVE Project: A Common-sense Model of the Enterprise", Proceedings of the 5th international conference on Industrial and Engineering Applications of Artificial Intelligence and Expert Systems ed. F. Belli and F. J. Radermacher, Lecture Notes in Computer Science:604, 1992, p. 25-34.