This extended example shows some of the kinds of syntactic normalizations and semantic explorations encouraged by the EDUCE process. The original narrative was obtained from the notes for the Fusion course taught by HP Training Services. Overall, the original narrative is first analyzed to form conceptual models. Then, after all the original statements have been modeled, the original concepts are augmented, especially where elements of the domain are not exposed in some usable manner. During the modeling of the original statements, each statement or group of related statements is considered separately. The analysis sections are organized as follows:
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This example has the following sections.
The ECO storage depot operates in accordance with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations controlling the storage of environmentally damaging chemicals. The ECO depot is only licensed to store drums of chemicals classified as EPA hazard type 1, type 2, or type 3.
The drums are stored in special storage buildings; in the depot there are also buildings that house scientific and administrative staff. Each storage building is licensed to hold a maximum number of drums. While the EPA requires that type 1 and type 2 must not be stored in the same building, type 3 can be stored with either type 1 or type 2. If either of these regulations is violated, then the EPA will close the depot as unsafe, pending emergency action.
The management has decided to install a computerized system to manage and control the depot. It is their paramount concern that the system never allow the depot to become unsafe.
The ECO management wants to avoid litigation from their employees or the local council. They have introduced a company regulation that requires the depot manager be able to monitor the depot and to always be able to check if the depot is in a vulnerable state. The regulation states that a depot is vulnerable if any two neighboring buildings contain the maximum number of drums.
When a truck arrives at the loading bay, the clerk enters the manifest accompanying the load and checks in the drums one at a time. As each drum is checked in, it is assigned an identifier. Once all the drums have been checked in, any discrepancies between the checked load and the manifest are reported to the loading bay clerk. The system then produces a drum-to-building allocation list that says where each drum is to be stored. The loading bay clerk is notified of any drums that must be returned to the truck because of lack of space.
Drum collections are initiated by the loading bay clerk, who types in an order manifest for the number and type of drums that are required. The system identifies the drums that are to be retrieved from the storage buildings. A manifest for the order is sent to the loading bay clerk.
Since there is only one loading bay, it must be empty before a delivery or collection can begin. It is the clerk's responsibility to notify the system when the bay is empty.
"The ECO storage depot operates in accordance with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations controlling the storage of environmentally damaging chemicals."
Semantic Equivalence - environmentally damaging =
hazardous
The ECO storage depot operates in accordance with the EPA
regulations controlling the storage of hazardous chemicals.
Syntactic Normalization - preposition elimination
"the storage
of hazardous chemicals"
The ECO storage depot operates in accordance with
the EPA regulations controlling hazardous chemical storage.
Semantic Equivalence - verb nominalization
Certain EPA
regulations control hazardous chemical storage - i.e., such a
facility.
Thus, those EPA regulations = hazardous chemical storage
regulations. Therefore,
The ECO storage depot operates in accordance with
the EPA hazardous chemical storage regulations.
Semantic Equivalence - operates in accordance with = complies
with
The ECO storage depot complies with the EPA hazardous
chemical storage regulations.
Semantic Implications
The ECO depot is a hazardous
chemical storage facility.
The EPA publishes the EPA hazardous
chemical storage regulations.
The EPA regulates hazardous chemical
storage facilities.
Link to conceptual models for EPA Regulations
Open Questions
"The ECO depot is only licensed to store drums of chemicals classified as EPA hazard type 1, type 2, or type 3."
Syntactic Normalization - verb isolation
"chemicals classified
as EPA hazard type 1, type 2, or type 3"
The EPA classifies hazardous
chemicals as an EPA hazard type.
An EPA hazard type describes
a hazardous chemical.
EPA hazard types = hazard type 1, hazard type 2,
hazard type 3.
The ECO depot is licensed to store drums of (only certain
types of) hazardous chemicals.
Semantic Equivalence - preposition replacement
"drums of
chemicals"
Drums contain hazardous chemicals.
The ECO depot is licensed
to store drums that contain (only certain types of) hazardous chemicals.
Syntactic Normalization - convert subject to singular
A drum
contains a hazardous chemical.
Syntactic Normalization - convert verb to active voice
The EPA
licenses the ECO depot to store drums that contain (only certain types of)
hazardous chemicals.
Semantic Equivalence - generalization
The ECO depot is a
hazardous chemical storage facility. Therefore,
The EPA licenses a hazardous
chemical storage facility to store drums that contain hazardous chemicals.
Semantic Equivalence - verb nominalization
The EPA
issues a hazardous chemical storage license to a hazardous
chemical storage facility.
A hazardous chemical storage license permits a
hazardous chemical storage facility to store drums that contain hazardous
chemicals.
Syntactic Normalization - verb isolation
A hazardous chemical
storage license permits hazardous chemical storage.
A hazardous
chemical storage facility stores drums (that contain hazardous
chemicals).
Link to conceptual models for Hazardous Chemical Storage
Open Questions
"The drums are stored in special storage buildings; in the depot there are also buildings that house scientific and administrative staff."
Syntactic Normalization - convert verb to active voice
Special
storage buildings store drums.
Syntactic Normalization - convert subject to singular
A
storage building stores (some number of) drums.
Syntactic Normalization - verb isolation
Staff buildings house
scientific and administrative staff.
A hazardous chemical storage facility
contains both storage buildings and staff buildings.
Syntactic Normalization - convert subject to singular
A staff
building houses (some number of) staff members.
Link to conceptual models for Depot Buildings
"Each storage building is licensed to hold a maximum number of drums."
Syntactic Normalization - convert verb to active voice
The EPA
licenses each storage building to hold a maximum number of drums.
Semantic Equivalence - verb nominalization
The EPA
issues a drum storage license for each storage building.
Semantic Implications
Each storage building does drum
storage.
Each drum storage license permits drum storage.
Each
storage building has an drum storage license.
Each drum storage
license limits (the number of) drums stored in a storage
building.
Each storage building has a drum storage limit.
Link to conceptual models for Building Storage Licenses
"While the EPA requires that type 1 and type 2 must not be stored in the same building, type 3 can be stored with either type 1 or type 2. If either of these regulations is violated, then the EPA will close the depot as unsafe, pending emergency action."
Semantic Equivalence - verb nominalization
EPA + unsafe +
regulation + violated
An EPA safety regulation defines an EPA safety
violation.
An EPA safety violation exists if
Semantic Implications
The EPA publishes EPA safety
regulations.
An EPA safety regulation defines EPA safety
compliance.
EPA safety compliance exists if
Semantic Implications
safety + emergency
A safety emergency
exists if
A hazardous chemical storage facility commits a safety
violation.
Semantic Implications
A safety emergency triggers
emergency action.
Emergency action restores EPA safety
compliance.
Syntactic Normalization - move dependent clause
The EPA will
close the depot as unsafe if a regulation is violated.
Syntactic Normalization - convert verb to active voice
The EPA
closes the depot as unsafe if a regulation is violated.
Semantic Equivalence - generalizations
The EPA closes a
hazardous chemical storage facility if a safety emergency exists.
Link to conceptual models for Safety Enforcement
"The management has decided to install a computerized system to manage and control the depot. It is their paramount concern that the system never allow the depot to become unsafe."
"The ECO management wants to avoid litigation from their employees or the local council. They have introduced a company regulation that requires the depot manager be able to monitor the depot and to always be able to check if the depot is in a vulnerable state. The regulation states that a depot is vulnerable if any two neighboring buildings contain the maximum number of drums."
Semantic Equivalence - verb nominalization
a computerized
system to manage and control the depot = a depot management system
Syntactic Normalization - active verb
The ECO management
installs a depot management system.
Semantic Equivalence - "never allows" = prevents
The depot
management system prevents depot vulnerability.
Syntactic Normalization - relative reference replacement
The
ECO management wants to avoid litigation from ECO employees or the local
council.
Syntactic Normalization - convert verb to active voice
The ECO
management avoids litigation from potential litigants (ECO
employees or the local council).
Syntactic Normalization - verb isolation
They have introduced
a company regulation.
The company regulation requires that the depot manager
monitor the depot.
The depot manager monitors whether the depot is in a
vulnerable state.
Semantic Equivalence - adjective to noun
"vulnerable" becomes
"vulnerability"
The depot manager monitors the ECO depot for
depot vulnerability.
The company regulation requires the depot
monitoring.
Semantic Equivalence - concept reuse
"building contains the
maximum number of drums" - i.e., a full storage building
A storage
building's drum storage equals the building's drum storage limit.
Semantic Equivalence - concept reuse
"two neighboring
(storage) buildings"
A storage building neighbors (another) storage
building.
The company regulation states that depot vulnerability
exists if any two neighboring storage buildings are full.
Syntactic Normalization - relative reference replacement
The
ECO management have introduced a company regulation.
Syntactic Normalization - convert verb to active voice
The ECO
management introduced a company regulation.
Link to conceptual models for Depot Management
"When a truck arrives at the loading bay, the clerk enters the manifest accompanying the load and checks in the drums one at a time. As each drum is checked in, it is assigned an identifier."
Syntactic Normalization - clause separation
A truck arrives at
the loading bay.
The clerk enters the manifest.
The manifest accompanies
the load.
The clerk checks in each drum.
Syntactic Normalization - active verb
The depot management
system assigns an identifier to each drum.
Semantic Implications
The ECO depot contains a loading
bay.
A truck delivers a drum load to the loading bay.
A
drum load contains drums.
A delivery manifest accompanies a
drum load.
The loading bay clerk enters a delivery manifest
into the depot management system.
The loading bay clerk checks
each drum from a drum load.
A drum identifier identifies a
drum.
Link to conceptual models for Drum Delivery
"Once all the drums have been checked in, any discrepancies between the checked load and the manifest are reported to the loading bay clerk. The system then produces a drum-to-building allocation list that says where each drum is to be stored. The loading bay clerk is notified of any drums that must be returned to the truck because of lack of space."
Syntactic Normalization - separate active verbs + identify
subjects
The loading bay clerk checks all the drums.
The depot management
system reports any discrepancies to the loading bay clerk.
The depot
management system produces a drum-to-building allocation list.
A
drum-to-building allocation list says where to store each drum.
The depot
management system notifies the loading bay clerk of any returned drums.
Semantic Implications
The loading bay clerk notifies
the depot management system of a checked drum load.
The depot
management system produces a discrepancy report for the loading
bay clerk.
The depot management system produces a drum allocation
report for the loading bay clerk.
A drum allocation report
lists the drum storage allocations for a drum load.
A drum
storage allocation identifies the storage building for each drum.
The depot
management system allocates (some number of) drums to a storage
building.
The depot management system produces a returned drum report
for the loading bay clerk.
Link to conceptual models for Drum Storage Allocation
"Drum collections are initiated by the loading bay clerk, who types in an order manifest for the number and type of drums that are required. The system identifies the drums that are to be retrieved from the storage buildings. A manifest for the order is sent to the loading bay clerk."
Syntactic Normalization - separate active verbs + identify
subjects
The loading bay clerk initiates drum collections.
The
loading bay clerk types an order manifest.
The system identifies the drums
to be retrieved from the storage buildings.
The system sends an order
manifest to the loading bay clerk.
Semantic Implications
The loading bay clerk enters a
collection order into the depot management system.
A collection order
lists a drum count for each hazard type.
The depot management
system produces a collection manifest for the loading bay
clerk.
A collection manifest lists the drum locations.
A drum
location identifies the storage building for each drum.
A building
identifier locates (some number of) drum identifiers.
Link to conceptual models for Drum Collection
"Since there is only one loading bay, it must be empty before a delivery or collection can begin. It is the clerk's responsibility to notify the system when the bay is empty."
Syntactic Normalization - separate active verbs + identify
subjects
The ECO depot contains only one loading bay.
The loading
bay must be empty before a delivery can begin.
The loading bay must be empty
before a collection can begin.
The loading bay clerk must notify the system
when the loading bay is empty.
Syntactic Normalization - requisite preconditions
A drum
delivery can begin only if the loading bay is empty.
A drum
collection can begin only if the loading bay is empty.
Syntactic Normalization - active verb
The loading bay clerk
notifies the depot management system when the loading bay is
empty.
Link to conceptual models for Empty Loading Bay
There are several holes evident in the original narrative. Many of them were filled during the analysis through semantic implication. However, a few important elements of the domain are still missing. Also, several depot management system use-cases are implied. We need to make those use-cases explicit and supply the missing domain elements.
How does the depot manager manage the depot?
The depot
management system presents the depot management operations to the
depot manager.
The depot manager selects depot status report
from the depot management operations.
The depot management system
generates a depot status report.
A depot status report
identifies any building that has an EPA safety violation.
A depot
status report lists pairs of building identifiers that have a
vulnerability.
A depot status report lists a building summary for
each storage building.
A building summary includes:
The depot manager selects building maintenance from the depot management operations.
The specifics of building maintenance have been intentionally left as an exercise for the reader. What are the essential usage cases for the following?
Link to conceptual models for Additional Management Concepts
Where is each building located?
A depot map locates the
depot buildings.
The depot map identifies which buildings neighbor each
other.
How is the building information maintained?
For each storage
building, the depot manager enters the building information into
the depot management system.
The building information includes:
Link to conceptual models for Additional Storage Building Concepts
What is the nature of a delivery manifest?
A delivery manifest
lists the drum count for an EPA hazard type.
How does the loading bay clerk initiate a delivery?
The depot
management system presents the loading bay operations to the
loading bay clerk.
The loading bay clerk selects drum delivery
from the loading bay operations.
The loading bay clerk enters
a drum count and EPA hazard type into the depot management system.
How is a drum identified?
The loading bay clerk
requests a drum identifier from the depot management
system.
The depot management system prints a drum identification
label if it can allocate storage space for another drum.
The loading bay
clerk attaches a drum identification label to a drum.
What happens if the depot runs out of space for the delivered hazard
type?
The depot management system notifies the loading bay clerk
that it cannot allocate storage space for another drum.
Any remaining drums
must be returned to the truck.
Link to conceptual models for Additional Delivery Concepts
What is a discrepancy?
A discrepancy exists when the drum
count for a checked drum load does not match the delivery manifest drum
count.
A discrepancy report lists the drum load EPA hazard type, the
checked drum count, the delivery manifest drum count and difference between
them.
What is a returned drum report?
A returned drum report
lists the drum load EPA hazard type and the returned drum count.
Link to conceptual models for Additional Allocation Concepts
How does the loading bay clerk initiate a collection?
The
depot management system presents the loading bay operations to
the loading bay clerk.
The loading bay clerk selects drum collection
from the loading bay operations.
The loading bay clerk enters
a drum count and EPA hazard type into the depot management system.
How is a collection ended?
The loading bay clerk
notifies the depot management system of a collected drum
load.
The depot management system removes the collected drums
from the drum inventory.
Link to conceptual models for Additional Collection Concepts
Who unloads the drums from a truck in the loading bay?
A drum
handler transfers the delivered drums from a truck into
the loading bay.
What happens to the returned drums?
A drum handler
returns drums from the loading bay onto a truck.
How are the drums collected?
The loading bay clerk
gives the collection manifest to a drum handler.
A drum
handler collects the drums from the storage buildings into
the loading bay.
A drum handler transfers the collected drums
from the loading bay onto the truck.
A truck collects a
drum load from the loading bay.
Link to conceptual models for Drum Handling Concepts
The inventory lists the subjects identified by the analysis. The subjects are listed with their associated predicates in alphabetical order.
Company regulation
Delivery manifest
Depot building
Depot building maintenance
Depot manager
Depot management system
Depot map
Depot monitor
Depot status report
Depot vulnerability
Discrepancy report
Drum
Drum allocation report
Drum contents
Drum handler
Drum identifier
Drum identification label
Drum inventory
Drum load
Drum storage
Drum storage license = hazardous chemical storage license
ECO depot
ECO management
Emergency action
Empty loading bay
EPA
EPA hazardous chemical storage regulations
EPA hazard type
EPA safety regulation
Hazard type = EPA hazard type
Hazardous chemical storage facility
Hazardous chemical storage license
Loading bay
Loading bay clerk
Returned drum report
Safety emergency
Staff building
Staff member
Storage building
descriptive information includes:
- the building identifier
- a physical description, including the physical dimensions
- the physical location of the building within the depot - i.e., the address
- the building identifiers of the neighboring buildings - i.e., the depot map
- the drum storage limit from the building's drum storage license
- the initial drum inventory
Truck
Vulnerability = depot vulnerability