Enterprise Maps: Zooming in and out of Enterprise Models

Abstract

Do not get lost in the modeling space. The architecture of the company can be represented by domain-specific models, which in turn are defined by domain-specific modeling language. The individual models consist of graphical elements (symbols) and connections, which follow the domain-specific modeling language semantics and syntax. Since not all stakeholders are interested in the same models, dedicated views can be created to support navigation through the enterprise models. These views offer only a snippet of the entire company and cover stakeholder specific concerns. The relationships between the different views as well as models remain hidden and can only be unveiled with a lot of effort. A navigation approach that reveals these relationships and offers the ability to change the degree of detail using zoom in/out of the enterprise model would bring significant benefits to the decision makers. Relationships and dependencies between the models are visualized and the potential impact of a change to the company can be identified. Considered isolated, some solutions already exist for altering the degree of detail of a model. However, a concept that takes into account the different models as well as modeling languages used to express an enterprise and establishes a form of navigation similar to an online map has not yet been developed. This thesis examines a concept in which the separate connections between the different models on the various layers are illustrated by zooming in or out. The aim of this work is to introduce a concept that establishes the principle of zoomability....