Entwicklung von Methoden und Werkzeugen zur semantischen Aufwertung von Tabellenkalkulation
Final Report Abstract
The overall goal of the SiSsI project is to study the use and usefulness of background semantics in the interplay with document player applications. Concretely, we developed the SAlly and MA SAlly framework into a fully-fledged user assistance paradigm for authors (touching Software-Engineering problems) and readers (addressing existing usability problems) of documents. We implemented it specifically for spreadsheets, CAD systems, and started the integration of text documents. In a nutshell, we achieved the following three project objectives, that address targets, content, and interaction within help systems: Document Semantics – Modeling: We excavated hidden semantic structures in spreadsheets, so that they can serve as explicit background knowledge that in turn supports quality assurance and new forms of interaction (like frame shifting). We integrated notions of abstract and concrete spreadsheets in a common spreadsheet annotation model (SAM) clustering the concrete spreadsheet and introducing relations between these clusters. This clustering allows us to annotate semantic knowledge to spreadsheet applications. Clusters correspond to ontological concepts and the generalized parameterized functions represent semantic based functions in this underlying ontology. Ontology services provide such information about different concepts. Document Engineering – Integrity and Consistency: Documents are engineered along document type models. Based on the now-explicit structured information we built well-known Software-Engineering services like verification and checks for documents. We utilized the interaction mappings connecting syntactical blocks to their semantic counterparts to assess and validate a given spreadsheet. On one hand we verify, for instance, formulas used to compute cell values by comparing them to the corresponding specification in the ontology. On the other hand, we also support a user by interpreting and assessing concrete values in the spreadsheet with respect to their underlying semantics specified in the background ontology. Document Interaction – Interpretation and Views: We explored the different requirements for using documents, e.g. interpretation needs and abstracted views. In particular, by realizing an invasive design approach, we enabled user assistance for authors and readers by turning semantically enhanced user interface objects in documents into semantically transparent ones, yielding a new sense of embedded user assistance. We realized the Semantic Alliance Framework that allows one to link spreadsheet artifacts into a structured background ontology and use these relations to provide semantic knowledge about the spreadsheet to users and developers. Semantic services based on ontology information offer intelligent services, which are visualized to the user via the Semantic Alliance framework in local, but application independent windows. We extended the SAlly framework to orchestrate multiple applications within one workflow of a user based on their common background ontology.
Publications
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Modeling the structure of spreadsheets. In Kerstin Bach and Michael Meder, editors, Workshop on Knowledge and Experience Management, pages 13 – 17, 2012
Christian Liguda
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Semantic Alliance: A framework for semantic allies. In Jeuring et al., editors, Intelligent Computer Mathematics, Springer, LNAI 7362, 2012
Catalin David, Constantin Jucovschi, Andrea Kohlhase, and Michael Kohlhase
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Full semantic transparency: Overcoming boundaries of applications. In Paula Kotzé, Gary Marsden, Gitte Lindgaard, Janet Wesson, and Marco Winckler, editors, Human-Computer Interaction – INTERACT 2013, Springer, LNCS 8119, 2013
Andrea Kohlhase, Michael Kohlhase, Constantin Jucovschi, and Alexandru Toader
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Human-spreadsheet interaction. In Paula Kotzé, Gary Marsden, Gitte Lindgaard, Janet Wesson, and Marco Winckler, editors, Human-Computer Interaction – INTERACT 2013, Springer, LNCS 8120, 2013
Andrea Kohlhase
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XLSearch: A search engine for spreadsheets. In Symp. of the European Spreadsheet Risks Interest Group (EuSpRIG 2013), 2013
Michael Kohlhase, Corneliu Prodescu, and Christian Liguda
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Towards an interaction-based integration of mkm services into end-user applications. In Stephan Watt, James Davenport, Alan Sexton, Petr Sojka, and Josef Urban, editors, Intelligent Computer Mathematics 2014, Lecture Notes in Computer Science, pages 344–356. Springer, 2014
Constantin Jucovschi
