The Combined Use of the Web Ontology Language (OWL) and Abstract State Machines (ASM) for the Definition of a Specification Language for Business Processes

The domain of Subject-oriented Business Process Management (S-BPM) is somewhat outstanding due to its embracing of Subject Orientation. However, at the same time, it is also a classic BPM domain concerned with typical aspects like creation and exchange of diagrammatic process models, elicitation of domain knowledge, and implementing process (models) into organisations and IT systems. Nevertheless, the Abstract State Machine (ASM) concept, a formal and abstract specification means for algorithms, has been and is fundamental and an important cornerstone for the S-BPM community. The first formal specifications for S-BPM has been developed by Egon Börger using ASM means—namely a specification for an interpreter engine for the subject-oriented modeling language PASS, the Parallel Activity Specification Schema. However, for the sake of intuitive and comprehensive use, ASM can be enriched with defining the passive aspects of PASS, namely the (data) structure of process models and data object appearing in the processes. Here it is useful to complement ASM description means with concepts that are better suited for that tasks. This work analyzes how the S-BPM research community has combined ASM with the Web Ontology Language (OWL) to generate a precise, while comprehensible, system specification for the execution of formal, subject-oriented process models. Furthermore, it will be argued why this combination is worthwhile overcoming the weaknesses of both generic and technology independent specification approaches.