Domain models and the ecological approach

This a more focused brief discussion to follow up my last post about different approaches to modeling. It attempts to understand some of the similarities and differences between a domain modeling approach and an ecological approach.

Thoughts so far:

  1. Like a domain model an ecological view is concerned with more than the technical issues and interfaces
  2. A domain model is usually at a given large scale. In UK terms often the information environment level (parallel to the ecosystem level). An ecological view, on the other hand, can be at different levels. The size of a domain is somewhat arguable but (AFAIK) within the eFramework the domain is taken as the UK (or other given country).
  3. A domain model is more like what Les is getting at in terms of an ontology. It’s trying to agree a set of (abstracted) terms to represent all of the activity in a particular area. An ecological view is looking at a slice of that activity in a particular setting for particular purpose. However, I need to think this through a bit more.
  4. From a project’s point of view. if we treat the project as a book it may be a bit like the difference between classifying it (putting it in a domain model) and writing an abstract of it (creating an ecological model).
  5. From a high level point of view a domain model agrees categories of everything that’s going on; an ecological view (selectively) puts entities, interactions, and influences into a picture/ story.

One thought on “Domain models and the ecological approach

  1. I try hard to search any literature on ecological approach as a theoritcal framework for interoperability issues …(such as one in e-Health particularly..or Semantic Web)…there is only few few that speak in the philosophy ground as far i could find…seems for me ..you have stumble or in this domain…i would happy if you can direct me to any resource you know…(I am currently doing Phd )

    I just try to share my view around domain and ecology view…i would like to say domain view…tends to view ALREADY existence of independent or isolated system with unique internal ‘STATIC (relative to external change)’ behaviour.. While ecological view will see a domain as part of a bigger domain…which interact each other and change the state/representation of the domain and ecology as a whole…So infact a domain is constructed constantly in ecological view..or even can be distinct…

    In a very informal view we can say ecology is natural approach of sustainable of reality (Assuming a super-being (God)…has intellectually design …such a complex system…to sustain this world …a system example will be the cycle of food, cycle of water…cycle of air…)…World keep changin its state…but ecology can keep it in a balance state as a overall result of change (stability over dynamics)

    Ecology is good approach to model ever-changing reality (such as in information technology and healt care i think)…but it will be very complex to model what really is in the reality ….. since we mostly model something in some degree of isolation to reduce the complexity…

    In term of creation of knowledge (epistemology), i think there is a big gap between domain modelling and ecology modelling…domain model is positivism (there are absolute truth in its own or we assumed it…similar to cognitive scice…where it is assumed that the human have independent internal state in place…while ecological approach will see it as result of construction through experience/learning/training). Thus ecology perspective is contructivism (truth is constructed)..

    Okay that my view..it may be still very raw and naive…since i just come across this subject……