ExpO: Towards Explaining Ontology-Driven Conceptual Models

Ontology-driven conceptual models play an explanatory role in complex and critical domains. However, since those models may consist of a large number of elements, including concepts, relations and sub-diagrams, their reuse or adaptation requires significant efforts. While conceptual model engineers tend to be biased against the removal of information from the models, general users struggle to fully understand them. The paper describes ExpO—a prototype that addresses this trade-off by providing three components: (1) an API that implements model transformations, (2) a software plugin aimed at modelers working with the language OntoUML, and (3) a web application for model exploration mostly designed for domain experts. We describe characteristics of every component and specify scenarios of possible usages.