On category theory as a (meta) ontology for information systems research

Michael Johnson*, C. N G Dampney

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference proceeding contributionpeer-review

12 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Category theory is a branch of mathematics that is renowned for its semantic power despite its very simple axiom set. The use of category theory as a meta-ontology for abstract algebra via the highly developed field of universal algebra has suggested that it be used as a foundation for research in computing. To date it has been widely used in, inter alia, the definition of abstract data types, the semantics of programming languages, and the design of functional programming languages. This paper illustrates the use of category theory as a meta-ontology for information systems research. It is based on the authors' extensive consultancy work using category theory to solve real problems in industrial applications involving information systems. In addition to discussing the role of category theory as an ontological tool for information systems research, the paper illustrates its use with a number of examples including system specification, the definitions of views and view updates, and system interoperations.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationFormal Ontology in Information Systems
Subtitle of host publicationCollected Papers from the Second International Conference
EditorsC. Welty, B. Smith
Place of PublicationNew York
PublisherACM
Pages59-69
Number of pages11
ISBN (Print)1581133774
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2001
EventFormal Ontology in Information Systems: Collected Papers from the Second International Conference - Ogunquit, ME, United States
Duration: 17 Oct 200119 Oct 2001

Other

OtherFormal Ontology in Information Systems: Collected Papers from the Second International Conference
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityOgunquit, ME
Period17/10/0119/10/01

Keywords

  • Category theory
  • Data modeling
  • Information systems
  • Interoperating systems
  • Ontology
  • View update

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