Overview | ER 2024

Conceptual Modeling, AI, and Beyond

The 43rd International Conference on Conceptual Modeling (ER 2024) is the main international forum for discussing the state of the art, emerging issues, and future challenges in research and practice on conceptual modeling.

Topics of interest span the entire spectrum of conceptual modeling, including research and practice in areas such as theories of concepts and ontologies, techniques for transforming conceptual models into effective implementations, and methods and tools for developing and communicating conceptual models.

ER 2024 will be held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, hosted by Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute on 28-31 October 2024. Register to attend or make a submission.

Keynote Speakers

Nicola Guarino

Nicola Guarino is a retired research associate at the Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies of the Italian National Research Council (ISTC-CNR), and former director of the ISTC-CNR Laboratory for Applied Ontology (LOA) based in Trento.

He has been playing a leading role in the ontology field, developing a strongly interdisciplinary approach that combines together Computer Science, Philosophy, and Linguistics. Among the most well-known results of his lab, the OntoClean methodology and the DOLCE foundational ontology. He has been founder and co-editor-in-chief of the Applied Ontology journal, founder and former president of the International Association for Ontology and its Applications (IAOA), and editorial board member of International Journal of Semantic Web and Information Systems and Journal of Data Semantics. He is also ER fellow and fellow of the European Association for Artificial Intelligence (EurAI). Recently he received the Peter P. Chen award for outstanding contributions to the field of conceptual modeling.

On the theoretical side, his current research interests are focusing on the ontological foundations of knowledge representation and conceptual modeling and specifically the ontology of events, processes, and relationships, while on the application side he has been focusing on enterprise modeling, ontology of economics, and manufacturing. He is also interested in leveraging on ontological analysis and semantic technologies to improve the cognitive transparency, the social accountability and the participatory governance of artificial intelligence artifacts.

His publications have 30,000+ citations, with H-index=54 according to Google Scholar.

Paul Nielsen

Dr. Paul D. Nielsen is the Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Carnegie Mellon University Software Engineering Institute (CMU SEI), a U.S. Department of Defense federally funded research and development center (FFRDC). The SEI is a global leader in advancing software engineering, cybersecurity, and the engineering of artificial intelligence systems. Since joining the SEI in 2004, Nielsen has overseen the growth of SEI to an organization with more than 600 men and women and operating revenues of $150 million annually. Nielsen has encouraged expansions of the SEI’s cyber portfolio, an emphasis on model-based software engineering and DevSecOps, a better alignment of software engineering and systems engineering and new initiatives in the engineering of AI systems.

Prior to joining the SEI in 2004, Nielsen served in the U.S. Air Force, retiring as a major general and commander of the Air Force Research Laboratory. Nielsen is a member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and a fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE), and the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE).

Nielsen earned a BS in Physics from the US Air Force Academy, an MBA from the University of New Mexico, and an MS and PhD in Applied Science for the University of California, Davis. He is a 1989 graduate of the National War College. He has served on several boards and advisory groups including the Hertz Foundation, AIAA, AFCEA. PAR Technology Corporation, the AF Scientific Advisory Board, and the Defense Science Board. Nielsen has been a strong proponent of science and technology throughout his career, inside and outside of government, but most importantly, he is a strong proponent of the dedicated women and men involved in the global science and engineering communities.

Calls for Participation

ER 2024 will offer a variety of sessions with Calls for Participation occurring in the coming months. Please explore the different conference sessions below and plan for your submission to participate! Most of these will require submission through EasyChair, and those links will appear live once the Call has opened.

Call for Papers (Closed)

As AI and ML reshape technology, they're also revolutionizing conceptual modeling. We call for papers exploring this change, particularly how AI and ML integrate with and expand conceptual modeling. Submissions should cover established topics like modeling languages, theories, and methods, as well as AI/ML's novel contributions to the field. We encourage papers that push the boundaries of conceptual modeling and demonstrate AI/ML's transformative effects. Contributions should reflect the current state and forecast the future of conceptual modeling, setting the stage for pioneering research.

Call for Tutorials

ER tutorials introduce general or special topics in ER and relevant neighboring areas. A focus on specific tools and methodologies can still be useful to offer concrete examples and hands-on activities to participants. The topics of interest span the entire spectrum of conceptual modeling including research and practice in the areas defined in the Call for Papers. Some general topics include:

Theories of concepts underlying conceptual modeling.
General-purpose and domain-specific methods and tools for developing and communicating conceptual models.
Techniques for the algorithmic processing of conceptual models.
The impact of conceptual modeling on databases, business strategies, and information systems engineering.
Innovative applications of conceptual models in industry and practice. The goal of a tutorial is to provide a road map – for beginners or advanced attendees – about a subject area related to conceptual modeling.

Generally, tutorials emphasize breadth and cover material from a variety of different authors. The audience generally varies from novice students to practitioners and specialized researchers. Ideally, a tutorial covers a subject that has an adequately supporting corpus of past work and significant prospects of future expansion research-wise.

Submissions should be made via EasyChair in PDF format by selecting ER Tutorials.

Call for Workshops (Closed)

Continuing a long tradition, ER 2024 will host multiple workshops on cutting-edge topics to be held in conjunction with the main ER 2024 conference. The workshops will serve as an intensive collaborative forum for exchanging innovative ideas about conceptual modeling, and for discovering new frontiers for its use.

We specifically invite proposals for interactive workshops on new, emerging, or established topics in conceptual modeling, or its application in specific domains. Workshops aligned with the main conference theme (“Conceptual Modeling, AI, and Beyond”) are especially welcome.

We encourage workshop organizers to include activities that provide their participants with a true workshop experience that is interactive, engaging, and encourages discussion.

Call for Posters & Demos

The ER Posters & Demos Session 2024 is intended to showcase work in progress in the field of conceptual modeling, covering any of the conference’s topics.

This session will provide an opportunity to present and discuss emerging methods and technologies with researchers and practitioners, allowing the presenters to gather relevant feedback regarding their ongoing work.

Posters should present visionary ideas and/or innovative research projects for which at least some preliminary results are available. We accept works in a relatively early stage, not necessarily including a complete validation.

Tool Demonstrations ("Demos" for short) regard the exhibition of innovative software prototypes or full-fledged systems for developing, communicating, and implementing conceptual models. The tools may originate from research initiatives or from industry.

Submissions should be made via EasyChair in PDF format by selecting ER Posters and Demos.

Call for Industrial Panel

Description coming soon!

Call for Hackathon

Join us for an exhilarating 24-hour hackathon at ER 2024 with the topic, “Empowering AI Development through Conceptual Modeling.”

ER 2024 is a perfect arena for young researchers, students, practitioners, and enthusiasts to showcase their talents, innovate, and contribute to the evolving field of AI through the lens of conceptual modeling.

We invite proposals that explore and demonstrate how conceptual modeling can be a powerful tool in the development and enhancement of AI technologies. Participants are encouraged to develop projects that:

Demonstrate innovative use of conceptual models in AI applications
Solve business problems in collaboration with industry partners
Address current challenges in AI through conceptual modeling techniques
Propose novel ideas that can contribute to the field
Demonstrate results at the conference and publish results as open-source solutions

Call for ER Forum

The ER Forum track is a vibrant and interactive platform for presenting and discussing novel and diverse research reports and artifacts on the full range of conceptual modeling topics.

Papers include new and promising research results, novel applications, and experience reports, proposed research endeavors still in early stages, and updates from earlier work. Innovation prevails over maturity, in particular regarding emerging new research topics.

The main goal of the track is to facilitate the interaction, discussion and exchange of ideas among presenters and participants.

Submissions should be made via EasyChair in PDF format by selecting ER Forum.

Call for Special Topics

Please see the description of the Special Topics (Invitation Only) and submit a proposal via EasyChair in PDF format by selecting ER Special Topics.

Sponsorship Opportunities

ER 2024 sponsorship gets your brand, product, or service in front of the ER 2024 audience—plus you can send one or more of your staff members to the conference itself. Most of our sponsorship packages include full-conference passes that can combine promotion, professional development, and networking in one package.

For more information about sponsorship, please contact Michele Falce (mbaker@sei.cmu.edu).