Using e3value business models to generate description of these in natural language

Background

The VU has developed the e3value modeling language to understand and analyze digital business ecosystems and platform. It is a graphical language (e.g. similar to the UML), that represents the parties in an ecosystem or platform and what they exchange of value with each other. The method is used in practice and software tooling is available

Problem

In general, conceptual modelling such the UML is a difficult task for many people. The same holds for the development of e3value modeling. It is important to lower the barrier, specifically for people not experienced in conceptual modelling.

Solution orientation

The student will develop a software prototype that uses an e3value model as input and generates a textual description of the model that is understandable by people without any knowledge about the e3value modeling language.

First, a series of e3value models will be collected, and a textual description of these models will be created manually (for some of these models, we already have textual descriptions. Then some alternative textual descriptions of these models will be created, in such a way that these can be generated by software taking the e3value model as input. Based on this, a prototype generation engine will be built, preferably using a templating engine, such that the generation process is adaptable.

Organizational context

This project is a VU-internal project in collaboration with The Value Engineers (TVE) (see www.thevalueengineers.nl). TVE provides the student with the necessary tools (e.g. a parser for e3value models) such the student can efficiently can develop the prototype.

Required

An independent student, familiar with graphical conceptual modelling techniques such as the UML, and willing to learn e3value.

Supervision