This paper provides four perspectives on a unifying framework for the Enterprise.
Can the low consistency, integrity, and traceability of Enterprise Architecture quality be fixed? Can Enterprise Architecture's total cost of ownership and return on investment be improved?
"This paper builds on the GSA Enterprise Architecture team's approach to an executable Federal Enterprise Architecture (FEA) and our informal conversations with Mr. Roy Mabry (OSD) in consultation on the DoD Enterprise Architecture Business Reference Model. The sections that follow provide four perspectives on a unifying framework for the Federal Enterprise. The section on Meaning in Enterprise Architecture describes the philosophical background for specifying meaning, or precise semantics, in Enterprise Architecture. Shared Concept formalizes a common language we've heard in conversations with our colleagues. We believe this perspective from cognitive science represents the next step toward “standardizing linkages1” between apparently unrelated artifacts like the DoD Enterprise Architecture and the FEA reference models. Building on Shared Concept, the section on Languages, Theories, Models, and Logics provides a perspective on preserving meaning across communities using technologies from which we're building the Semantic Web. Finally, the section on Ontology Alignment, Merging, and Partitioning describes recent efforts to automate these capabilities."