Automatic generation of user interfaces from rigorous domain and use case models

Tese de doutoramento. Engenharia Informática. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 201

An Integrated Formal Task Specification Method for Smart Environments

This thesis is concerned with the development of interactive systems for smart environments. In such scenario different interaction paradigms need to be supported and according methods and development strategies need to be applied to comprise not only explicit interaction (e.g., pressing a button to adjust the light) but also implicit interactions (e.g., walking to the speaker’s desk to give a talk) to assist the user appropriately. A task-based modeling approach is introduced allowing basing the implementing of different interaction paradigms on the same artifact

RGML: A Markup Language for Characterizing Requirements Generation Processes

In this paper we present the Requirements Generation Markup Language (RGML). The RGML supports the formal characterization of (a) the physical structure of a requirements generation process, (b) individual activities inherent to that process, and (c) artifacts produced and consumed during the generation process. The inclusion of templates, application instantiation, and the expression of temporally-based pre- and post-conditions increase the flexibility of RGML and its ability to capture variations in requirements generation processes. We envision the RGML as providing the specification basis for (automatically) producing interactive environments that lead (or guide) the requirements engineer through a structured set of integrated activities that foster the evolution of quality requirements

A Framework to Evaluate Candidate Agile Software Development Processes

University of Minnesota Ph.D. dissertation. July 2019. Major: Computer Science. Advisors: Mats Heimdahl, Sanjai Rayadurgam. 1 computer file (PDF); vii, 108 pages.Today's software development projects must respond to fierce competition, a constantly changing marketplace, and rapid technological innovation. Agile development processes are popular when attempting to respond to these changes in a controlled manner; however, selecting an ill-suited process may increase project costs and risk. Before adopting a seemingly promising Agile approach, we desire to evaluate the approach's applicability in the context of the specific product, organization, and staff. Simulation provides a means to do this. Because of Agile's emphasis on the individual and interactions, we theorize that a high-fidelity model---one that models individual behavior---will produce more accurate outcome predictions than those that do not account for individual behavior. To this end, we define criteria, based on the Agile Manifesto, for determining if a simulation is suited to model Agile processes and use the criteria to assess existing simulations (and other evaluation frameworks). Finding no suitable evaluation framework, we focus on constructing a simulation that satisfies our criteria. In this work, we propose a process simulation reference model that provides the constructs and relationships needed to capture the interactions among the individuals, product, process, and project in a holistic fashion. As a means for evaluating both our criteria and reference model, we constructed the Lean/Agile Process Simulation Environment (LAPSE), a multi-agent simulation framework for evaluating Agile processes prior to adoption within an organization. The contributions of this work are threefold. Building on the simulation assessment criteria of Kellner, Madachy, and Raffo and the Agile Manifesto, we establish criteria for assessing Agile simulations. From there, we define a reference model that captures the constructs and relationships needed to simulate Agile processes. We then show the satisfiability of our criteria and demonstrate how the constructs of the reference model fit together by building LAPSE. This work lays the groundwork for detailed a priori process evaluation and enables future research into process transformation

Model Transformation Technologies in the Context of Modelling Software Systems

Programming technologies have improved continuously during the last decades, but from an Information Systems perspective, some well-known problems associated to the design and implementation of an Information Systems persists. Object-Oriented Methods, Formal Specification Languages, Component-Based Software Production... This is just a very short list of technologies proposed to solve a very old and, at the same time, very well-known problem: how to produce software of quality. Programming has been the key task during the last 40 years, and the results have not been successful yet. This work will explore the need of facing a sound software production process from a different perspective: the non-programming perspective, where by non-programming we mainly mean modeling. Instead of talking about Extreme Programming, we will introduce a Extreme Non-Programming (Extreme Modeling-Oriented) approach. We will base our ideas on the intensive work done during the last years, oriented to the objective of generating code from a higher-level system specification, normally represented as a Conceptual Schema. Nowadays, though, the hip around MDA has given a new push to these strategies. New methods propose sound model transformations which cover all the different steps of a sound software production process from an Information Systems Engineering point of view. This must include Organizational Modeling, Requirements Engineering, Conceptual Modeling and Model-Based Code Generation techniques. In this context, it seems that the time of Model Transformation Technologies is finally here..

An ontology co-design method for the co-creation of a continuous care ontology

Ontology engineering methodologies tend to emphasize the role of the knowledge engineer or require a very active role of domain experts. In this paper, a participatory ontology engineering method is described that holds the middle ground between these two 'extremes'. After thorough ethnographic research, an interdisciplinary group of domain experts closely interacted with ontology engineers and social scientists in a series of workshops. Once a preliminary ontology was developed, a dynamic care request system was built using the ontology. Additional workshops were organized involving a broader group of domain experts to ensure the applicability of the ontology across continuous care settings. The proposed method successfully actively engaged domain experts in constructing the ontology, without overburdening them. Its applicability is illustrated by presenting the co-created continuous care ontology. The lessons learned during the design and execution of the approach are also presented

Operator interfaces for the lifecycle support of component based automation systems

Current manufacturing automation systems (specifically the powertrain sector) have been facing challenges with constant pressures of globalisation, environmental concerns and ICT (Information and Communication Technology) innovations. These challenges instigate new demands for shorter product lifecycles and require customised products to be manufactured as efficiently as possible. Manufacturing systems must therefore be agile to remain competitive by supporting frequent reconfigurations involving distributed engineering activities. [Continues.

Diagrammatic Languages and Formal Verification : A Tool-Based Approach

The importance of software correctness has been accentuated as a growing number of safety-critical systems have been developed relying on software operating these systems. One of the more prominent methods targeting the construction of a correct program is formal verification. Formal verification identifies a correct program as a program that satisfies its specification and is free of defects. While in theory formal verification guarantees a correct implementation with respect to the specification, applying formal verification techniques in practice has shown to be difficult and expensive. In response to these challenges, various support methods and tools have been suggested for all phases from program specification to proving the derived verification conditions. This thesis concerns practical verification methods applied to diagrammatic modeling languages. While diagrammatic languages are widely used in communicating system design (e.g., UML) and behavior (e.g., state charts), most formal verification platforms require the specification to be written in a textual specification language or in the mathematical language of an underlying logical framework. One exception is invariant-based programming, in which programs together with their specifications are drawn as invariant diagrams, a type of state transition diagram annotated with intermediate assertions (preconditions, postconditions, invariants). Even though the allowed program states—called situations—are described diagrammatically, the intermediate assertions defining a situation’s meaning in the domain of the program are still written in conventional textual form. To explore the use of diagrams in expressing the intermediate assertions of invariant diagrams, we designed a pictorial language for expressing array properties. We further developed this notation into a diagrammatic domain-specific language (DSL) and implemented it as an extension to the Why3 platform. The DSL supports expression of array properties. The language is based on Reynolds’s interval and partition diagrams and includes a construct for mapping array intervals to logic predicates. Automated verification of a program is attained by generating the verification conditions and proving that they are true. In practice, full proof automation is not possible except for trivial programs and verifying even simple properties can require significant effort both in specification and proof stages. An animation tool which supports run-time evaluation of the program statements and intermediate assertions given any user-defined input can support this process. In particular, an execution trace leading up to a failed assertion constitutes a refutation of a verification condition that requires immediate attention. As an extension to Socos, a verificion tool for invariant diagrams built on top of the PVS proof system, we have developed an execution model where program statements and assertions can be evaluated in a given program state. A program is represented by an abstract datatype encoding the program state, together with a small-step state transition function encoding the evaluation of a single statement. This allows the program’s runtime behavior to be formally inspected during verification. We also implement animation and interactive debugging support for Socos. The thesis also explores visualization of system development in the context of model decomposition in Event-B. Decomposing a software system becomes increasingly critical as the system grows larger, since the workload on the theorem provers must be distributed effectively. Decomposition techniques have been suggested in several verification platforms to split the models into smaller units, each having fewer verification conditions and therefore imposing a lighter load on automatic theorem provers. In this work, we have investigated a refinement-based decomposition technique that makes the development process more resilient to change in specification and allows parallel development of sub-models by a team. As part of the research, we evaluated the technique on a small case study, a simplified version of a landing gear system verification presented by Boniol and Wiels, within the Event-B specification language.Vikten av programvaras korrekthet har accentuerats då ett växande antal säkerhetskritiska system, vilka är beroende av programvaran som styr dessa, har utvecklas. En av de mer framträdande metoderna som riktar in sig på utveckling av korrekt programvara är formell verifiering. Inom formell verifiering avses med ett korrekt program ett program som uppfyller sina specifikationer och som är fritt från defekter. Medan formell verifiering teoretiskt sett kan garantera ett korrekt program med avseende på specifikationerna, har tillämpligheten av formella verifieringsmetod visat sig i praktiken vara svår och dyr. Till svar på dessa utmaningar har ett stort antal olika stödmetoder och automatiseringsverktyg föreslagits för samtliga faser från specifikationen till bevisningen av de härledda korrekthetsvillkoren. Denna avhandling behandlar praktiska verifieringsmetoder applicerade på diagrambaserade modelleringsspråk. Medan diagrambaserade språk ofta används för kommunikation av programvarudesign (t.ex. UML) samt beteende (t.ex. tillståndsdiagram), kräver de flesta verifieringsplattformar att specifikationen kodas medelst ett textuellt specifikationsspåk eller i språket hos det underliggande logiska ramverket. Ett undantag är invariantbaserad programmering, inom vilken ett program tillsammans med dess specifikation ritas upp som sk. invariantdiagram, en typ av tillståndstransitionsdiagram annoterade med mellanliggande logiska villkor (förvillkor, eftervillkor, invarianter). Även om de tillåtna programtillstånden—sk. situationer—beskrivs diagrammatiskt är de logiska predikaten som beskriver en situations betydelse i programmets domän fortfarande skriven på konventionell textuell form. För att vidare undersöka användningen av diagram vid beskrivningen av mellanliggande villkor inom invariantbaserad programming, har vi konstruerat ett bildbaserat språk för villkor över arrayer. Vi har därefter vidareutvecklat detta språk till ett diagrambaserat domän-specifikt språk (domain-specific language, DSL) och implementerat stöd för det i verifieringsplattformen Why3. Språket låter användaren uttrycka egenskaper hos arrayer, och är baserat på Reynolds intevall- och partitionsdiagram samt inbegriper en konstruktion för mappning av array-intervall till logiska predikat. Automatisk verifiering av ett program uppnås genom generering av korrekthetsvillkor och åtföljande bevisning av dessa. I praktiken kan full automatisering av bevis inte uppnås utom för trivial program, och även bevisning av enkla egenskaper kan kräva betydande ansträngningar både vid specifikations- och bevisfaserna. Ett animeringsverktyg som stöder exekvering av såväl programmets satser som mellanliggande villkor för godtycklig användarinput kan vara till hjälp i denna process. Särskilt ett exekveringspår som leder upp till ett falskt mellanliggande villkor utgör ett direkt vederläggande (refutation) av ett bevisvillkor, vilket kräver omedelbar uppmärksamhet från programmeraren. Som ett tillägg till Socos, ett verifieringsverktyg för invariantdiagram baserat på bevissystemet PVS, har vi utvecklat en exekveringsmodell där programmets satser och villkor kan evalueras i ett givet programtillstånd. Ett program representeras av en abstrakt datatyp för programmets tillstånd tillsammans med en small-step transitionsfunktion för evalueringen av en enskild programsats. Detta möjliggör att ett programs exekvering formellt kan analyseras under verifieringen. Vi har också implementerat animation och interaktiv felsökning i Socos. Avhandlingen undersöker också visualisering av systemutveckling i samband med modelluppdelning inom Event-B. Uppdelning av en systemmodell blir allt mer kritisk då ett systemet växer sig större, emedan belastningen på underliggande teorembe visare måste fördelas effektivt. Uppdelningstekniker har föreslagits inom många olika verifieringsplattformar för att dela in modellerna i mindre enheter, så att varje enhet har färre verifieringsvillkor och därmed innebär en mindre belastning på de automatiska teorembevisarna. I detta arbete har vi undersökt en refinement-baserad uppdelningsteknik som gör utvecklingsprocessen mer kapabel att hantera förändringar hos specifikationen och som tillåter parallell utveckling av delmodellerna inom ett team. Som en del av forskningen har vi utvärderat tekniken på en liten fallstudie: en förenklad modell av automationen hos ett landningsställ av Boniol and Wiels, uttryckt i Event-B-specifikationspråket

Agile managing of web requirements with WebSpec

Web application development is a complex and time consuming process that involves di erent stakeholders (ranging from customers to developers); these applications have some unique characteristics like navigational access to information, sophisticated interaction features, etc. However, there have been few proposals to represent those requirements that are speci c to Web applications. Consequently, validation of requirements (e.g. in acceptance tests) is usually informal, and as a result troublesome. To overcome these problems, this PhD Thesis proposes WebSpec, a domain speci c language for specifying the most relevant and characteristic requirements of Web applications: those involving interaction and navigation. We describe WebSpec diagrams, discussing their abstraction and expressive power. As part of this work, we have created a test driven model based approach called WebTDD that gives a good framework for the language. Using the language with this approach we have test several of its features such as automatic test generation, management of changes in requirements, and improving the understanding of the diagrams through application simulation. This PhD Thesis is composed of a set of published and submitted papers. In order to write this PhD Thesis as a collection of papers, several requirements must be taken into account as stated by the University of Alicante. With regard to the content of the PhD Thesis, it must speci cally include a summary which is devoted to the description of initial hypotheses, research objectives, and the collection of publications itself, thus justifying its coherence. It should be underlined that this summary of the PhD Thesis must also include research results and nal conclusions. This summary corresponds to part I of this PhD Thesis (chapter 1 has been written in Spanish while chapter 2 is in English). This work has been partially supported by the following projects: MANTRA (GV/2011/035) from Valencia Ministry, MANTRA (GRE09-17) from the University of Alicante and by the MESOLAP (TIN2010-14860) project from the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science.Este trabajo ha sido parcialmente financiado por los siguientes proyectos: Mantra (GV/2011/035), Ministerio de Valencia, MANTRA (GRE09-17) de la Universidad de Alicante y por el MESOLAP (TIN2010-14860) proyecto del Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia de España.Facultad de Informátic