Navigating Contextual Complexity with Graph Visualization
Figure 4 – 5 shows detail of the inheritance hierarchy for the IFC Flow Controller class , which is the superclass for devices such as dampers , valves , and electrical switching devices , which all belong to their own specific mechanical sub-domains . This layout shows that kernel level concepts are further refined to support domain-specific concepts for building control and electrical systems by aligning domain membership within vertical columns . The horizontal swim lanes help to clearly illustrate a pattern in this model for defining products and enumerating their types .
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4 – 5 : Two-dimensional swim lane graph layout applied to a portion of the IFC4x3 model .
Ontologies are not all the same , and most of the time , an inheritance hierarchy is not enough to help people to understand them and apply them correctly . The use of swim lanes , in this case , enables navigation within the context of other available abstractions , providing both predictability in where information will be displayed , and contextual clues that enhance understanding .
The ontology model we examined is one effort to describe a system of systems in an industrial field that involves many disciplines . System complexity is compounded by the array of tools , and standards that must be navigated and harmonized to ensure that shared data resources retain integrity through every transformation and across a product lifecycle . Furthermore , the available data needs to be correctly understood , within the appropriate context ( s ) of use , and applied by end users of varying disciplines . These are the same tensions we find in system engineering more generally .
Model-based System Engineering practices are still in the process of moving from manual maintenance of diagrams ( diagram-first engineering ) to more data-driven techniques ( diagram generation ). Data-driven solutions for diagram generation , as those supported by Tom Sawyer Software ’ s Model-Based Engineering plug-in for Catia / NoMagic , can meet with some resistance if the automatically generated drawings aren ’ t consistent with user expectations , or interfere with their ability to orient quickly to the model data . The development of SysMLv2 is working to enable a model-first approach to system engineering . Figure 4 – 6 is one possible visualization projected from a SysMLv2 model , by querying the model store and applying a visualization algorithm .
82 February 2025