A Multi-Model View of Process Modelling

International audienceSituatedness of development processes is a key issue in both the software engineering and the method engineering communities, as there is a strong felt need for process prescriptions to be adapted to the situation at hand. The assumption of the process modelling approach presented in this paper is that process prescriptions shall be selected according to the actual situation at hand i.e. dynamically in the course of the process. The paper focuses on a multi-model view of process modelling which supports this dynamicity. The approach builds on the notion of a labelled graph of intentions and strategies called a map as well as its associated guidelines. The map is a navigational structure which supports the dynamic selection of the intention to be achieved next and the appropriate strategy to achieve it whereas guidelines help in the operationalization of the selected intention. The paper presents the map and guidelines and exemplifies the approach with the CREWS-L'Ecritoire method for requirements engineering

Multi-view Learning as a Nonparametric Nonlinear Inter-Battery Factor Analysis

Factor analysis aims to determine latent factors, or traits, which summarize a given data set. Inter-battery factor analysis extends this notion to multiple views of the data. In this paper we show how a nonlinear, nonparametric version of these models can be recovered through the Gaussian process latent variable model. This gives us a flexible formalism for multi-view learning where the latent variables can be used both for exploratory purposes and for learning representations that enable efficient inference for ambiguous estimation tasks. Learning is performed in a Bayesian manner through the formulation of a variational compression scheme which gives a rigorous lower bound on the log likelihood. Our Bayesian framework provides strong regularization during training, allowing the structure of the latent space to be determined efficiently and automatically. We demonstrate this by producing the first (to our knowledge) published results of learning from dozens of views, even when data is scarce. We further show experimental results on several different types of multi-view data sets and for different kinds of tasks, including exploratory data analysis, generation, ambiguity modelling through latent priors and classification.Comment: 49 pages including appendi

Planning robust policing futures: modelling using multimethodology

Purpose – The resourcing of policing activity is characterised by a level of complexity, particularly where evaluating alternative policy options is concerned. In this paper, a case study using multimethodological modelling to compare alternative policy choice in a group context is outlined with respect to response-patrol officer (RPO) deployment within a UK police force. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The application of a three phase modelling process is illustrated where scenario planning is used to generate the scope of the system elements to be modelled. This is followed by causal mapping to identify the barriers to improving officer resourcing, and system dynamics modelling is used to simulate the impacts of a range of policy options within this policing function. A group model building approach was applied throughout the modelling phases with anexpert group to negotiate a shared view of the structure and dynamics of the resourcing policy challenges. Findings – A fully validated system dynamics model emerged from the multi-phase modelling process which allowed a series of alternative future policy scenarios to be explored and evaluated. Useful policy insights were generated by the system dynamics simulation model which suggested more efficient rules for resource allocation in the police force’s RPO function. Originality/value – The insights from this case study demonstrates that multi-phase modelling has potential application in policy exploration across a range of emergency service providers whoseactions are governed by both variable demand and constrained supply of resourc

Visual communication in urban planning and urban design

This report documents the current status of visual communication in urban design and planning. Visual communication is examined through discussion of standalone and network media, specifically concentrating on visualisation on the World Wide Web(WWW).Firstly, we examine the use of Solid and Geometric Modelling for visualising urban planning and urban design. This report documents and compares examples of the use of Virtual Reality Modelling Language (VRML) and proprietary WWW based Virtual Reality modelling software. Examples include the modelling of Bath and Glasgow using both VRML 1.0 and 2.0. A review is carried out on the use of Virtual Worldsand their role in visualising urban form within multi-user environments. The use of Virtual Worlds is developed into a case study of the possibilities and limitations of Virtual Internet Design Arenas (ViDAs), an initiative undertaken at the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, University College London. The use of Virtual Worlds and their development towards ViDAs is seen as one of the most important developments in visual communication for urban planning and urban design since the development plan.Secondly, photorealistic media in the process of communicating plans is examined.The process of creating photorealistic media is documented, examples of the Virtual Streetscape and Wired Whitehall Virtual Urban Interface System are provided. The conclusion is drawn that although the use of photo-realistic media on the WWW provides a way to visually communicate planning information, its use is limited. The merging of photorealistic media and solid geometric modelling is reviewed in the creation of Augmented Reality. Augmented Reality is seen to provide an important step forward in the ability to quickly and easily visualise urban planning and urban design information.Thirdly, the role of visual communication of planning data through GIS is examined interms of desktop, three dimensional and Internet based GIS systems. The evolution to Internet GIS is seen as a critical component in the development of virtual cities which will allow urban planners and urban designers to visualise and model the complexity of the built environment in networked virtual reality.Finally a viewpoint is put forward of the Virtual City, linking Internet GIS with photorealistic multi-user Virtual Worlds. At present there are constraints on how far virtual cities can be developed, but a view is provided on how these networked virtual worlds are developing to aid visual communication in urban planning and urban design

Timing of Pathogen Adaptation to a Multicomponent Treatment

The sustainable use of multicomponent treatments such as combination therapies, combination vaccines/chemicals, and plants carrying multigenic resistance requires an understanding of how their population-wide deployment affects the speed of the pathogen adaptation. Here, we develop a stochastic model describing the emergence of a mutant pathogen and its dynamics in a heterogeneous host population split into various types by the management strategy. Based on a multi-type Markov birth and death process, the model can be used to provide a basic understanding of how the life-cycle parameters of the pathogen population, and the controllable parameters of a management strategy affect the speed at which a pathogen adapts to a multicomponent treatment. Our results reveal the importance of coupling stochastic mutation and migration processes, and illustrate how their stochasticity can alter our view of the principles of managing pathogen adaptive dynamics at the population level. In particular, we identify the growth and migration rates that allow pathogens to adapt to a multicomponent treatment even if it is deployed on only small proportions of the host. In contrast to the accepted view, our model suggests that treatment durability should not systematically be identified with mutation cost. We show also that associating a multicomponent treatment with defeated monocomponent treatments can be more durable than associating it with intermediate treatments including only some of the components. We conclude that the explicit modelling of stochastic processes underlying evolutionary dynamics could help to elucidate the principles of the sustainable use of multicomponent treatments in population-wide management strategies intended to impede the evolution of harmful populations.Comment: 3 figure

Using process modelling to capture requirements for a digital library

This paper describes the results of an action research study which explored how IT professionals used process modelling to capture requirements and design artefacts concerning a digital library system. The intention was to produce a web-based, non-relational (XML) database system to store publications of various types and to allow public domain access to the system. Traditionally, such systems are constructed with a data-oriented design, with little attention being paid to process concerns. In this study, process, described by business rules, was defined first which provides advantages as many business systems (including library systems) are often process-oriented. The team involved in this study modelled a reasonably complex system, articulating 168 business rules across 18 major functions covering many aspects of the operation of a digital library system. The team was able to produce a usable requirements specification that was used as the major input into the design phase of the system being developed. The design phase considered both process and network perspectives explicitly before modelling a data-oriented view of the proposed system. It is argued that this multi-perspective view led to a better-designed system than would have been obtained with a single perspective method. An issue for this study was that third year software engineering students were used in place of professional software developers. Using students instead of practitioners raises an interesting question concerning the authenticity of this study vis-a-vis action research. The fundamental question being tested in study was to ascertain whether a process modelling method could be used to model the domain of digital libraries i.e. does it contain a necessary set of constructs to satisfactorily model the problem domain? It was considered that the environment of student projects in a university with regular supervisory oversight offered advantages for the monitoring of this question more so than the alternative. As regards the authenticity, this study was a real project for a real client

Research on the integrated management and mapping method of BOM multi-view for complex products

The bill of materials (BOM) runs through all stages of the life cycle of manufacturing products, which is the core of manufacturing enterprises. With increasing complexity of modern manufacturing engineering and widespread using of intelligent manufacturing technology, the BOM data keeps rising and transformation process is increasingly frequent and complicated. In order to improve efficiency of BOM management and ensure the diversity, accuracy and consistency of BOM in the product development, the BOM multi-view integrated management and mapping method for complex products were researched. First, a complex product BOM integrated management framework and the evolution model based on multiple views were established which described the BOM integrated management mechanism and transformation relationship among different BOMs. Subsequently, process of BOM transformation was analyzed, and a BOM transformation model was proposed. Moreover, a rule-based BOM multi-view mapping algorithm was proposed. With the rule definition and mathematical modelling for key components, the complex mapping principle was elaborated. Finally, the BOM multi-view transformation cases and the prototype system were illustrated and discussed, which verified the feasibility and versatility of model and method

Open innovation process via technology transfer and organizational innovation

Purpose: The main aim of the paper is to determine the relationship between technology transfer as a part of open innovation process on organizational innovation in surveyed firms, what has been investigated empirically. Design/Methodology/Approach: The study is based on a survey on firms (n=100) located in Poland. The research model defines the relationship between technology transfer and organizational innovation in the enterprises has been developed. The survey uses the multi stepwise regression modelling. Findings: The surveys has determined the positive relationship between technology transfer and organizational innovations of researched firms. A strong direct effect on surveyed firm’s organizational innovations have different channels of material and non-material technology transfer as well as coopetition for innovation. Practical implications: From the practical point of view it is important that practitioners as managers should invest more effort in innovation activity connected with software development in their companies and coopetition, firstly started from cooperation with the research centers and universities for innovation, based on common innovation projects. Originality/Value: Regarding its methodology, this survey is one of the first studies examining the relationship between technology transfer and technological innovation of firms based on individual-level data and according to the theory. This findings suggest that measurement of technology transfer and its specific channels should be developed further as it is important in firm competitiveness and innovativeness level of firms.peer-reviewe

User Directed Multi-view-stereo

Abstract. Depth reconstruction from video footage and image collec-tions is a fundamental part of many modelling and image-based render-ing applications. However real-world scenes often contain limited texture information, repeated elements and other ambiguities which remain chal-lenging for fully automatic algorithms. This paper presents a technique that combines intuitive user constraints with dense multi-view stereo reconstruction. By providing annotations in the form of simple paint strokes, a user can guide a multi-view stereo algorithm and avoid com-mon failure cases. We show how smoothness, discontinuity and depth ordering constraints can be incorporated directly into a variational opti-mization framework for multi-view stereo. Our method avoids the need for heuristic approaches that edit a depth-map in a sequential process, and avoids requiring the user to accurately segment object boundaries or to directly model geometry. We show how with a small amount of intuitive input, a user may create improved depth maps in challenging cases for multi-view-stereo.