Rough Concept Analysis
This work provides a foundational synthesis for data modeling techniques, potentially impacting fields like knowledge representation and database design, though it appears incremental as it builds on existing theories.
The paper introduces Rough Concept Analysis, a theory that combines Rough Sets and Formal Concept Analysis to define rough formal concepts, addressing the integration of these two frameworks for data modeling.
The theory introduced, presented and developed in this paper, is concerned with Rough Concept Analysis. This theory is a synthesis of the theory of Rough Sets pioneered by Zdzislaw Pawlak with the theory of Formal Concept Analysis pioneered by Rudolf Wille. The central notion in this paper of a rough formal concept combines in a natural fashion the notion of a rough set with the notion of a formal concept: "rough set + formal concept = rough formal concept". A follow-up paper will provide a synthesis of the two important data modeling techniques: conceptual scaling of Formal Concept Analysis and Entity-Relationship database modeling.