Position on Ontology-Based Architecture

This position paper argues that Architecture should not be captured and maintained as a set of views, but as an instance of an architectural meta-model or ontology. The ontology provides a common architecture language, or vocabulary, that enables the level of precision needed for effective architecture decision making. Our proposed ontology is composed of architecture assets, architecture decisions, stakeholder concerns and an architecture implementation roadmap. We see this approach as an alternative to traditional view-based methods.