9,529 research outputs found
Three Dimensional Software Modelling
Traditionally, diagrams used in software systems modelling have been two dimensional (2D). This is probably because graphical notations, such as those used in object-oriented and structured systems modelling, draw upon the topological graph metaphor, which, at its basic form, receives little benefit from three dimensional (3D) rendering. This paper presents a series of 3D graphical notations demonstrating effective use of the third dimension in modelling. This is done by e.g., connecting several graphs together, or in using the Z co-ordinate to show special kinds of edges. Each notation combines several familiar 2D diagrams, which can be reproduced from 2D projections of the 3D model. 3D models are useful even in the absence of a powerful graphical workstation: even 2D stereoscopic projections can expose more information than a plain planar diagram
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Automatic synthesis of analog layout : a survey
A review of recent research in the automatic synthesis of physical geometry for analog integrated circuits is presented. On introduction, an explanation of the difficulties involved in analog layout as opposed to digital layout is covered. Review of the literature then follows. Emphasis is placed on the exposition of general methods for addressing problems specific to analog layout, with the details of specific systems only being given when they surve to illustrate these methods well. The conclusion discusses problems remaining and offers a prediction as to how technology will evolve to solve them. It is argued that although progress has been and will continue to be made in the automation of analog IC layout, due to fundamental differences in the nature of analog IC design as opposed to digital design, it should not be expected that the level of automation of the former will reach that of the latter any time soon
Drawing OWL 2 ontologies with Eddy the editor
In this paper we introduce Eddy, a new open-source tool for the graphical editing of OWL~2 ontologies. Eddy is specifically designed for creating ontologies in Graphol, a completely visual ontology language that is equivalent to OWL~2. Thus, in Eddy ontologies are easily drawn as diagrams, rather than written as sets of formulas, as commonly happens in popular ontology design and engineering environments.
This makes Eddy particularly suited for usage by people who are more familiar with diagramatic languages for conceptual modeling rather than with typical ontology formalisms, as is often required in non-academic and industrial contexts. Eddy provides intuitive functionalities for specifying Graphol diagrams, guarantees their syntactic correctness, and allows for exporting them in standard OWL 2 syntax. A user evaluation study we conducted shows that Eddy is perceived as an easy and intuitive tool for ontology specification
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User interface development and software environments : the Chiron-1 system
User interface development systems for software environments have to cope with the broad, extensible and dynamic character of such environments, must support internal and external integration, and should enable various software development strategies. The Chiron-1 system adapts and extends key ideas from current research in user interface development systems to address the particular demands of software environments. Important Chiron-1 concepts are: separation of concerns, dynamism, and open architecture. We discuss the requirements on such user interface development systems, present the Chiron-1 architecture and a scenario of its usage, detail the concepts it embodies, and report on its design and prototype implementation
Bluefish: A Relational Framework for Graphic Representations
Complex graphic representations -- such as annotated visualizations,
molecular structure diagrams, or Euclidean geometry -- convey information
through overlapping perceptual relations. To author such representations, users
are forced to use rigid, purpose-built tools with limited flexibility and
expressiveness. User interface (UI) frameworks provide only limited relief as
their tree-based models are a poor fit for expressing overlaps. We present
Bluefish, a diagramming framework that extends UI architectures to support
overlapping perceptual relations. Bluefish graphics are instantiated as
relational scenegraphs: hierarchical data structures augmented with adjacency
relations. Authors specify these relations with scoped references to components
found elsewhere in the scenegraph. For layout, Bluefish lazily materializes
necessary coordinate transformations. We demonstrate that Bluefish enables
authoring graphic representations across a diverse range of domains while
preserving the compositional and abstractional affordances of traditional UI
frameworks. Moreover, we show how relational scenegraphs capture previously
latent semantics that can later be retargeted (e.g., for screen reader
accessibility).Comment: 27 pages, 14 figure
NetPanorama: A Declarative Grammar for Network Construction, Transformation, and Visualization
This paper introduces NetPanorama, a domain-specific language and declarative
grammar for interactive network visualizations. Exploring complex networks with
multivariate, geographical, or temporal information often require bespoke
visualization designs, such as adjacency matrices, arc-diagrams, small
multiples, timelines, or geographic map visualizations. However, creating these
requires implementing data loading, data transformations, visualization, and
interactivity, which is time-consuming and slows down the iterative exploration
of this huge design space. With NetPanorama, a developer specifies a network
visualization design as a pipeline of parameterizable steps. Our specification
and reference implementation aims to facilitate visualization development and
reuse; allow for easy design exploration and iteration; and make data
transformation and visual mapping decisions transparent. Documentation, source
code, examples, and an interactive online editor can be found online:
https://netpanorama.netlify.app
Semantics-driven dataflow diagram processing.
Dataflow diagram is a commonly used tool of structured analysis and design techniques in specifications and design of a software system, and in analysis of an existing system as well. While automatic generating dataflow diagram saves system designers from tedious drawing and help them develop a new system, simulating dataflow diagrams provides system analysts with a dynamic graph and help them understand an existing system. CASE tools for dataflow diagrams play an important role in software engineering. Methodologies applied to the tools are dominant issues extensively evaluated by tools designers. Executable specifications with dataflow diagrams turn out an opportunity to execute graphic dataflow diagrams for systems analysts to simulate the behavior of a system. In this thesis, a syntax representation of dataflow diagram was developed, and a formal specification for dataflow diagram was established. A parser of this developed CASE tool translates the syntax representation of DFDs into their semantic representation. An interpreter of this tool then analyzes the DFDs semantic notations and builds a set of services of a system represented by the DFDs. This CASE tool can be used to simulate system behavior, check equivalence of two systems and detect deadlock. Based on its features, this tool can be used in every phase through entire software life cycle. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis1998 .Z46. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 39-02, page: 0535. Adviser: Indra A. Tjandra. Thesis (M.Sc.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 1998
User support for software development technologies
The adoption of software development technologies is very closely related to the topic
of user support. This is especially true in early phases, when the users are not familiar
with the modification or the build processes of the software that has to be developed nor
with the technology used for software development. This work introduces an approach
to improve the usability of software development technologies represented by the Combinatory
Logic Synthesizer (CL)S Framework. (CL)S is based on a type inhabitation
algorithm for the combinatory logic with intersection types and aims to automatically
create software components from a domain-specified repository. The framework yields
a complete enumeration of all inhabitants. The inhabitation results are computed in
the form of tree grammars. Unfortunately, the underlying type system allows limited
application of domain-specific knowledge. To compensate for this limit, this work provides
a framework for debugging intersection type specifications and filtering inhabitation
results using domain-specific constraints as main aspects. The aim of the debugger is
to make potentially incomplete or erroneous input specifications and decisions of the
inhabitation algorithm understandable for those who are not experts in the field of type
theory. The combination of tree grammars and graph theory forms the foundation of a
clear representation of the computed results that informs users about the search process
of the algorithm. The graphical representations are based on hypergraphs that illustrate
the inhabitation in a step-wise fashion. Within the scope of this work, three filtering algorithms
were implemented and investigated. The filtering algorithm integrated into the
framework for user support and used for the restriction of inhabitation results is practically
feasible and represents a clear improvement compared to existing approaches. It is
based on modifying the tree grammars resulting from the (CL)S Framework. Additionally,
the usability of the (CL)S Framework is supported by eight perspectives included in a
web-based integrated development environment (IDE) that provides detailed graphical
and textual information about the synthesis
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Formalizing graphical notations
The thesis describes research into graphical notations for software engineering, with a principal interest in ways of formalizing them. The research seeks to provide a theoretical basis that will help in designing both notations and the software tools that process them.
The work starts from a survey of literature on notation, followed by a review of techniques for formal description and for computational handling of notations. The survey concentrates on collecting views of the benefits and the problems attending notation use in software development; the review covers picture description languages, grammars and tools such as generic editors and visual programming environments. The main problem of notation is found to be a lack of any coherent, rigorous description methods. The current approaches to this problem are analysed as lacking in consensus on syntax specification and also lacking a clear focus on a defined concept of notated expression.
To address these deficiencies, the thesis embarks upon an exploration of serniotic, linguistic and logical theory; this culminates in a proposed formalization of serniosis in notations, using categorial model theory as a mathematical foundation. An argument about the structure of sign systems leads to an analysis of notation into a layered system of tractable theories, spanning the gap between expressive pictorial medium and subject domain. This notion of 'tectonic' theory aims to treat both diagrams and formulae together.
The research gives details of how syntactic structure can be sketched in a mathematical sense, with examples applying to software development diagrams, offering a new solution to the problem of notation specification. Based on these methods, the thesis discusses directions for resolving the harder problems of supporting notation design, processing and computer-aided generic editing. A number of future research areas are thereby opened up. For practical trial of the ideas, the work proceeds to the development and partial implementation of a system to aid the design of notations and editors. Finally the thesis is evaluated as a contribution to theory in an area which has not attracted a standard approach
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