Integrating conceptual and operational modeling: a case study

Abstract We argue that it is important for the development of large knowledge models to integrate conceptual and operational modeling. We show that conceptual models can be operationalized by continuous refinement, without the need for a separate manual and structure-transforming implementation phase. Moreover, we show that such a continuity can be the basis for a fruitful integration of both kinds of modeling in a spiral development cycle. This allows us to integrate the best of both worlds: (1) the sloppiness required by conceptual modeling in order to develop structures unhampered by the constraints of an operational language; and (2) the feedback that an operational language provides for the ongoing model development process by allowing for testing, validating, and analysing the formalized structures of the model. To support our claims, we show how a large conceptual model of cancer-chemotherapy administration benefits from this integrating view on modeling.