Have an example for this one: If the instance is of a the class "Tumor"
then
on giving treatment it changes in size, shape etc, and might ultimately
disappear. On each visit we are observing a different version of the tumor
instance [in Tom].
[VK] Clearly there is a longitudinal aspect to this as the state of the tumor
changes over time....
This could be modeled in two ways:
Tumor1.state = X at time T1
Tumor1.state = Y at time T2
...
Tumor1.state = "Non-existent" at time Tn
Essentially you are modeling state as a multivalued property or as a ternary
relationship (Tumor, state, Time)
Alternatively,
Tumor1, v1.state = X
Tumor1, v2.state = Y
...
Tumor1, vN.state = "Non-existent"
IMHO, the former representation conveys more information and meaning...
So, it may make sense not to confound versioning with temporal progression...
Yes, I agree. It seems as though the various states of the tumor can
exist, but whether they are the same state over time is a different
question. It is not as though the state 'non-existent' is replaced with
another state with a new name, at least that is how I am thinking of
versioning. The instance data to describe the state of the tumor is
different based on some action, e.g. passing of time.
Trish
