Fuzzy based component reusability evaluation approach to support component based software development

One of the contributions of Component Based Software Development (CBSD) is the reuse of software components across multiple systems by software developers. However, the developers often face a difficulty to determine the reusability of the components during the component selection process. Similarly, the component developers also have a problem to measure the component reusability during component development. Nowadays, even though many studies have been conducted in this field, which the researchers suggested many approaches with metrics but they still lack in empirical confirmation and evidences. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate and develop the component reusability evaluation approach to support CBSD. The proposed approach, which is called Component Reusability Evaluation Approach (CREA), is supported by the developed automated tool (CREATool) that may automate the reusability evaluation. CREA is then evaluated by applying five Java component in this approach and CREATool to the selected software components. The results from the application approach and then validated with results from the controlled experiment using statistical analysis. The results indicated that CREA able to provide an acceptable reusability measure, which it is confirmed by similarity results between evaluation using statistical analysis through the controlled experiment and by applying the CREATool. It shows that the proposed approach could be used as an alternative approach in component reusability evaluation. Although the developed approach are not intended to make a holistic and an ultimate decision whether the components can be reused or not, but it is useful enough to be considered as a guide for both component users and developers in making decisions related to reusable components

Effective Control System Framework Selection through Checklist-based Software Quality Evaluation

The Herzberg Astronomy and Astrophysics Research Centre (HAA) of the National Research Council (NRC) is Canada's premier center for astronomy and astrophysics. It maintains the largest and most powerful observatories in Canada and represents Canada at many of the world's leading astronomical events. In the context of my pursuit of a master's degree, a collaborative effort unfolded between HAA and myself, centered around the multifaceted project named ARTTA4. In the realm of control systems, the significance of prioritizing the evaluation of open-source software's quality is undeniable. This emphasis arises from the essential role that a thorough appraisal of these components plays in safeguarding the security, stability, and efficiency of such systems. Neglecting this assessment exposes control systems to a range of vulnerabilities, including bugs and compatibility concerns that could result in operational disruptions, security breaches, and potential risks across diverse industries. Ensuring the integrity and performance of control systems demands a rigorous approach to software quality assessment, serving to preempt unforeseen complications and bolstering the overall reliability and functionality of these systems. Through my engagement with HAA, I recognized the pivotal role of an open-source control system toolkit named Tango Controls in shaping their antenna control system. Consequently, a comprehensive evaluation of Tango Controls' software quality emerged as a vital undertaking for guaranteeing the ultimate dependability and maintainability of the resultant control system. Accordingly, we conducted a generalizable checklist-driven software quality assessment approach to examine Tango Controls. This evaluation brought to light three specific limitations within this open-source toolkit. This finding prompted me to investigate a substitute control system toolkit to replace Tango Control. Thus, we adopted a Component-based Software Development (CBSD) methodology to propose two potential substitute solutions. These alternatives were put into practice through the implementation of a control system module at HAA, in parallel with the utilization of Tango Controls. To quantify their efficacy, we used SonarQube to generate a static source code analysis report. Furthermore, we conducted an empirical comparison centered around the development process spanning all three methodologies. Drawing from empirical and quantitative analyses, it became evident that one of the proposed solutions outperformed Tango Controls in terms of efficacy and performance. In conclusion, this thesis stands as a pivotal stepping stone in the realm of open-source software selection for the development of industrial control systems. As we move forward, the path to fully realizing the potential of open-source technologies lies in sustained research efforts and collaborative endeavors. By delving into the criteria commonly referenced by industry practitioners, we can glean insights that refine the selection process. Furthermore, the introduction of a natural language processing-based tool holds promise in revolutionizing how we approach open-source software comparison and adoption. Such a tool aims to streamline the process by autonomously aggregating pertinent information from diverse online sources. Through this holistic approach, we aspire to foster an environment where open-source technologies are harnessed to their fullest extent, driving the evolution of industrial control systems and propelling technological advancement

Benefits from the adoption of genetically engineered innovations in the Ugandan banana and cassava sectors: an ex ante analysis

The Government of Uganda has implemented programs and policies to improve the agricultural sector’s recent underperformance. Uganda’s two main food security crops, bananas and cassava, have been critically affected by two diseases: Banana Xanthomonas Wilt (BXW) and Cassava Brown Streak Disease (CBSD). The effectiveness of agronomic and cultural practices to control these diseases has been limited, requiring better alternatives. The Ugandan R&D sector in collaboration with international partners have developed genetically engineered innovations that can control both diseases. To examine the potential benefits to consumers and producers from the adoption of genetically engineered banana and cassava with resistance to BXW and CBSD, we use a set of economic impact assessment methods. These include an economic surplus model implemented via IFPRI’s DREAMpy framework, a real options model and a limited gender assessment. Results from the economic surplus approach suggest that the adoption of both technologies can benefit Uganda. These results were confirmed for the case of bananas and partially for the case of cassava using the real options and the gender assessment performed. Results from this assessment are predicated on Uganda maintaining an enabling environment that will ensure the deployment and use of both innovations. Looking forward, continuing to improve enabling environment for innovation in Uganda will require addressing current R&D, regulatory, technology deployment and product stewardship processes constraints

Developing the financial balance sheet and accumulation account model for South Africa : implementing recommendation 8 of the G20 DGI-2

Project Work presented as the partial requirement for obtaining a Master's degree in Statistics and Information Management, specialization in Information Analysis and ManagementThe recent global financial crisis highlighted the significant degree of interconnection and integration of economies and identified several gaps in the existing suite of national and international financial statistics. From this realisation emerged the G20 Data Gaps Initiative (G20DGI) - a set of 20 recommendations on the enhancement of economic and financial statistics. These recommendations were developed in two phases – the first being G20DGI-1 and the second G20DGI-2, with the second set building on and replacing the first set. Recommendation 8 of G20DGI-2 identifies the development of the Balance Sheet Approach (BSA) for integrated sector accounts. In South Africa’s case, no integrated financial balance sheet and accumulation accounts (FBSAA) exist. This study presents a proposition to a complete model for the construction of the South African FBSAA model within a positivist paradigm making use of quantitative research utilising computation techniques. This is done being mindful of international requirements and guidelines pertaining to data sourcing and output, whilst also being cognisant of the South African specificities relating to time, resource and knowledge constraints. One of the main benefits of the FBSAA model is its ability to provide a holistic view of the financial dimension of the different sectors in a national economy as well as their international linkages. In addition, it also provides the basis to analyze risks and vulnerabilities in financial systems in an integrated manner

Case study : an evaluation of the implementation of an Enterprise Resource Planning System (ERP) at a South African municipal entity.

Master of Commerce in Information Systems and Technology. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2018.Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is a computer based software application that is widely implemented in many business organisations. These systems have evolved over the years into component based modules with the ability to easily integrate with other systems, provide real time information and improve information sharing and collaboration. Choosing an ERP system is a complex process and the literature clearly illustrates the failure of organisations to effectively specify, select and implement ERP systems resulting in the inability to effectively harness the associated benefits. This study focuses on a South African water utility and the processes followed in procuring and implementing an ERP system. It is interesting to note, that in this study, despite the utility having experienced a failed ERP implementation decided to replace the same? ERP system. A rigorous process was followed to find a replacement ERP system only to set aside all alternate commercial of-the-shelf systems and re-implement the original failed ERP system. To gain insight of the processes followed, the COTS theoretical framework is presented to bring the reader’s attention to associated theoretical studies. In this study, we will conduct a systematic literature review on ERP systems, its background, implementation processes and associated implementation outcomes. This research, presents a case study that will describe and explore the process of ERP implementation at the water utility. We will document the process the utility followed in acquiring and setting up functional and non-functional evaluation criteria for the ERP system. Further, we have considered the processes of preparation, evaluation, selection and implementation. The analysis of the implementation process has brought to light the importance of defining ERP scopes based on business requirements, specifications based on the business scopes and evaluation criterion. The findings and results from this case study will contribute to the conceptual and contextual understanding of the specification, selection and implementation of ERP systems

Multi-Quality Auto-Tuning by Contract Negotiation

A characteristic challenge of software development is the management of omnipresent change. Classically, this constant change is driven by customers changing their requirements. The wish to optimally leverage available resources opens another source of change: the software systems environment. Software is tailored to specific platforms (e.g., hardware architectures) resulting in many variants of the same software optimized for different environments. If the environment changes, a different variant is to be used, i.e., the system has to reconfigure to the variant optimized for the arisen situation. The automation of such adjustments is subject to the research community of self-adaptive systems. The basic principle is a control loop, as known from control theory. The system (and environment) is continuously monitored, the collected data is analyzed and decisions for or against a reconfiguration are computed and realized. Central problems in this field, which are addressed in this thesis, are the management of interdependencies between non-functional properties of the system, the handling of multiple criteria subject to decision making and the scalability. In this thesis, a novel approach to self-adaptive software--Multi-Quality Auto-Tuning (MQuAT)--is presented, which provides design and operation principles for software systems which automatically provide the best possible utility to the user while producing the least possible cost. For this purpose, a component model has been developed, enabling the software developer to design and implement self-optimizing software systems in a model-driven way. This component model allows for the specification of the structure as well as the behavior of the system and is capable of covering the runtime state of the system. The notion of quality contracts is utilized to cover the non-functional behavior and, especially, the dependencies between non-functional properties of the system. At runtime the component model covers the runtime state of the system. This runtime model is used in combination with the contracts to generate optimization problems in different formalisms (Integer Linear Programming (ILP), Pseudo-Boolean Optimization (PBO), Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) and Multi-Objective Integer Linear Programming (MOILP)). Standard solvers are applied to derive solutions to these problems, which represent reconfiguration decisions, if the identified configuration differs from the current. Each approach is empirically evaluated in terms of its scalability showing the feasibility of all approaches, except for ACO, the superiority of ILP over PBO and the limits of all approaches: 100 component types for ILP, 30 for PBO, 10 for ACO and 30 for 2-objective MOILP. In presence of more than two objective functions the MOILP approach is shown to be infeasible

Contribution to Quality-driven Evolutionary Software Development process for Service-Oriented Architectures

The quality of software is a key element for the successful of a system. Currently, with the advance of the technology, consumers demand more and better services. Models for the development process have also to be adapted to new requirements. This is particular true in the case of service oriented systems (domain of this thesis), where an unpredictable number of users can access to one or several services. This work proposes an improvement in the models for the software development process based on the theory of the evolutionary software development. The main objective is to maintain and improve the quality of software as long as possible and with the minimum effort and cost. Usually, this process is supported on methods known in the literature as agile software development methods. Other key element in this thesis is the service oriented software architecture. Software architecture plays an important role in the quality of any software system. The Service oriented architecture adds the service flexibility, the services are autonomous and compact assets, and they can be improved and integrated with better facility. The proposed model in this thesis for evolutionary software development makes emphasis in the quality of services. Therefore, some principles of evolutionary development are redefined and new processes are introduced, such as: architecture assessment, architecture recovery and architecture conformance. Every new process will be evaluated with case studies considering quality aspects. They have been selected according to the market demand, they are: the performance, security and evolutionability. Other aspects could be considered of the same way than the three previous, but we believe that these quality attributes are enough to demonstrate the viability of our proposal

HIVE-MIND SPACE: A META-DESIGN APPROACH FOR CULTIVATING AND SUPPORTING COLLABORATIVE DESIGN.

The ever-growing complexity of design projects requires more knowledge than any individual can have and, therefore, needs the active engagement of all stakeholders in the design process. Collaborative design exploits synergies from multidisciplinary communities, encourages divergent thinking, and enhances social creativity. The research documented in this thesis supports and deepens the understanding of collaborative design in two dimensions: (1) It developed and evaluated socio-technical systems to support collaborative design projects; and (2) It defined and explored a meta- design framework focused on how these systems enable users, as active contributors, to modify and further develop them. The research is grounded in and simultaneously extends the following major dimensions of meta-design: (1) It exploits the contributions of social media and web 2.0 as innovative information technologies; (2) It facilitates the shift from consumer cultures to cultures of participation; (3) It fosters social creativity by harnessing contributions that occur in cultures of participation; (4) It empowers end-users to be active designers involved in creating situated solutions. In a world where change is the norm, meta-design is a necessity rather than a luxury because it is impossible to design software systems at design time for problems that occur only at use time. The co-evolution of systems and users\u2bc social practices pursued in this thesis requires a software environment that can evolve and be tailored continuously. End-user development explores tools and methods to support end users who tailor software artifacts. However, it addresses this objective primarily from a technical perspective and focuses mainly on tailorability. This thesis, centered on meta-design, extends end-user development by creating social conditions and design processes for broad participation in design activities both at design time and at use time. It builds on previous research into meta- design that has provided a strategic overview of design opportunities and principles. And it addresses some shortcomings of meta-design, such as the lack of guidelines for building concrete meta-design environments that can be assessed by empirical evaluation. Given the goal of this research, to explore meta-design approaches for cultivating and supporting collaborative design, the overarching research question guiding this work is: How do we provide a socio-technical environment to bring multidisciplinary design communities together to foster creativity, collaboration, and design evolution? 8 To answer this question, my research was carried out through four different phases: (1) synthesizing concepts, models, and theories; (2) framing conceptual models; (3) developing several systems in specific application areas; and (4) conducting empirical evaluation studies. The main contributions of this research are: \uf0a7 The Hive-Mind Space model, a meta-design framework derived from the \u201csoftware shaping workshop\u201d methodology and that integrates the \u201cseeding, evolutionary growth, reseeding\u201d model. The bottom-up approach inherent in this framework breaks down static social structures so as to support richer ecologies of participation. It provides the means for structuring communication and appropriation. The model\u2bcs open mediation mechanism tackles unanticipated communication gaps among different design communities. \uf0a7 MikiWiki, a structured programmable wiki I developed to demonstrate how the hive-mind space model can be implemented as a practical platform that benefits users and how its features and values can be specified so as to be empirically observable and assessable; \uf0a7 Empirical insights, such as those based on applying MikiWiki to different collaborative design studies, provide evidence that different phases of meta-design represent different modes rather than discrete levels