Conceptual modelling for life sciences based on systemist foundations

Abstract

All aspects of our society, including the life sciences, need a mechanism for people working within them to represent the concepts they employ to carry out their research. For the information systems being designed and developed to support researchers and scientists in conducting their work, conceptual models of the relevant domains are usually designed as both blueprints for a system being developed and as a means of communication between the designer and developer. Most conceptual modelling concepts are generic in the sense that they are applied with the same understanding across many applications. Problems in the life sciences, however, are especially complex and important, because they deal with humans, their well-being, and their interactions with the environment as well as other organisms.