Oruga: Implementation and Use of Representational Systems Theory

We present an overview of Oruga: a tool built on the foundations set by Representational Systems Theory (RST). Oruga allows us to (1) encode the structure of diverse representations, (2) reason about representations, and (3) transform representations across representational systems. Given the variety of form and purpose of existing representations, it is essential that computational systems are able to transform and select between them to best suit the task at hand, considering that the best choice may be a diagram, a table, a sentence, or something else. Oruga’s ability to transform and reason about representations allows us to do the required analysis and assess the benefits of one over the other, from both formal and cognitive perspectives.