Conceptual Modeling Meets the Human Genome

Abstract

Looking backwards, it makes sense to discuss the value that Conceptual Modeling has provided to the Information Systems Design and Development area. Thinking about the present, the most advanced Software Engineering approaches oriented to producing quality software propose using extensively conceptual model-based approaches. Conceptual Modeling is widely used in the Information Systems domain. Nevertheless, in terms of Conceptual Model Evolution, we should wonder which new application domains will become more challenging for Conceptual Modeling in the very near future. In an attempt to answer that question, one path to follow is associated to the Bioinformatics domain and specifically, to confront the problem of precise understanding of the Human Genome. The problems related to this topic have become first-order issues in which, curiously, the role of Conceptual Modeling has not yet been fully exploited. The comprehension of the Human Genome is an extremely attractive topic for future research taking into account the continuous and increasing interest that is being generated. Therefore, it is worth analyzing how Conceptual Modeling principles, methods and techniques could help to face the problem and how Conceptual Modeling could aid to provide more efficient solutions. The basic goal of this talk will be the introduction and the discussion of these ideas. If we look at the Human Genome as the representation of some Conceptual Model ---which is not yet known-, interesting analogies with the modern Model-Driven Software Development principles appear. As a precise interpretation of the Human Genome would be much easier if the underlying model were known, Conceptual Modeling can provide new ways of facing that problem in order to obtain new and better strategies and solutions.