Unique Names Violations, a Problem for Model Integration or You Say Tomato, I Say Tomahto

The tomato-tomahto problem (known as the synonymy problem in the database literature) arises in the context of model management when different names are used in different models for what should be identical variables, and these different models are to be integrated or combined into a larger model. When this problem occurs, it is said that the unique names assumption has been violated. We propose a method by which violations of the unique names assumption can be automatically detected. The method relies on declaring four kinds of information and modeling variables: dimensional information, laws relating dimensional expressions, information (called the quiddity) about the intended interpretation of the variables, and laws relating quiddity expressions. We present and discuss the method and the principles and theory behind it, and we describe our (prototype) implementation of the method, as an additional function of an existing model management system.

INFORMS Journal on Computing, ISSN 1091-9856, was published as ORSA Journal on Computing from 1989 to 1995 under ISSN 0899-1499.