LABYRINTH, AN ABSTRACT MODEL FOR HYPERMEDIA APPLICATIONS - DESCRIPTION OF ITS STATIC COMPONENTS

In information technology, models are abstract devices to represent th e components and functions of software applications. When a model is g eneral and consistent, it represents a useful design tool to unambiguo usly describe the application. Traditional models are not suitable for the design of hypermedia systems and, therefore, specific design mode ls and methodologies are needed. In the present article, the requireme nts for such models are analysed, an overview of the characteristics o f the existing models for hypermedia applications is made and an abstr act model fulfilling the analysed requirements is presented. The model , called Labyrinth, allows 1) the design of platform-independent hyper media applications; 2) the categorisation, generalisation and abstract ion of sparse unstructured heterogeneous information in multiple and i nterconnected levels; 3) the creation of personalisations (personal vi ews) in multiuser hyperdocuments for both groups and individual users and 4) the design of advanced security mechanisms for hypermedia appli cations. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.