Mapping the NRC Dataflow Model to the Open Provenance Model

Abstract

The Open Provenance Model (OPM) has recently been proposed as an exchange framework for workflow provenance information. In this paper we show how the NRC data model for workflow repositories can be mapped to the OPM. Our mapping includes such features as complex data flow in an execution of a workflow; different workflows in the repository that call each other; and the tracking of subvalues of complex data structures in the provenance information. Because the NRC dataflow model has been formally specified, also our mapping can be formally specified; in particular, it can be automated. To facilitate this specification, we present an adapted set-theoretic formalization of the basic OPM.