Towards a Unified View of Model Mapping and Transformation

In the last period, there’s an increasing demand for ”model transformation” techniques (e.g. to support the Model Driven Development proposed by OMG). Tools and techniques for model mapping, model transformation and model merging are developed in several domains (from software engineering to ontology building); however the various initiatives often diverge in terminology or in the overall view of the mapping/transformation process, hindering the clear understanding or the reuse of the techniques themselves. With this paper we aim to propose a number of formal definitions of relevant concepts in the model mapping/transformation domain; we argue that this effort will be useful both for the user of transformation/mapping tools (for a better understanding of the task to be achieved) and for the tool’s developer (allowing better and unambiguous description of the tool’s functionalities).