Beneficios de la aplicación del paradigma de líneas de productos software para generar dashboards en contextos educativos

Data are crucial to improve decision-making and to obtain greater benefits in any type of activity. However, the large amount of information generated by new technologies has made data analysis and knowledge generation a complex task.  Numerous tools have emerged to facilitate this knowledge generation, such as dashboards. Although dashboards are very powerful tools, their effectiveness can be affected by a bad design or by not taking into account the context in which they are placed. Therefore, it is necessary to design and create tailored dashboards according to the audience and data domain. Creating tailored dashboards can be very beneficial, but also a costly process in terms of time and resources. This paper presents an application of the software product line paradigm to generate dashboards adapted to any context in a more straightforward way by reusing both software components and knowledge. One of the contexts that can be especially favored by this approach is the educational context, where analítica del aprendizaje and the analysis of student performance to improve learning methodologies are becoming very popular. Having tailored dashboards for any role (student, teacher, administrator, etc.) can improve decision making processes by showing each user the information that interests them most in the way that best enables them to understand it.Los datos son cruciales para mejorar la toma de decisiones y obtener mayores beneficios en cualquier tipo de actividad. Sin embargo, la gran cantidad de información generada debido a las nuevas tecnologías ha convertido el análisis de los datos y la generación de conocimiento a partir de ellos en una tarea compleja. Numerosas herramientas han surgido para facilitar esta generación de conocimiento, como es el caso de los dashboards o paneles de información. Aunque los paneles de control sean herramientas muy potentes, su efectividad puede verse afectada por un mal diseño o por no tener en cuenta el contexto en el que se encuadran. Por ello, es necesario diseñar y crear paneles de control a medida en función de la audiencia y dominio de los datos. Crear paneles de control personalizados puede ser muy beneficioso, pero también un proceso costoso en lo que al tiempo y recursos se refiere. Este trabajo presenta una aplicación del paradigma de líneas de productos software para generar paneles de control adaptados a cualquier contexto de manera más sencilla, reutilizando tanto componentes software como conocimiento. Uno de los contextos que puede verse especialmente favorecido por este enfoque es el contexto educativo, donde la analítica del aprendizaje y el análisis de datos sobre el rendimiento de los estudiantes se está popularizando. Contar con paneles de control personalizables para cualquier rol (estudiante, profesor, administrador, etc.) puede mejorar los procesos de toma de decisiones, mostrando a cada usuario la información que más le interesa de la forma que mejor le permita comprenderla

Modeling Variability in Template-based Code Generators for Product Line Engineering

Generating software from abstract models is a prime activity in model-drivenengineering. Adaptable and extendable code generators are important to address changing technologies as well as user needs. However, theyare less established, as variability is often designed as configuration options of monolithic systems. Thus, code generation is often tied to a fixed set of features, hardly reusable in different contexts, and without means for configuration of variants. In this paper,we present an approach for developing product lines of template-based code generators. This approach applies concepts from feature-oriented programming to make variability explicit and manageable. Moreover, it relies on explicit variability regions (VR) in a code generators templates, refinements of VRs, and the aggregation of templates and refinements into reusable layers. Aconcrete product is defined by selecting one or multiple layers. If necessary, additional layers required due to VR refinements are automatically selected.Comment: 16 pages, 3 figures, Modellierung 2016 Conferenc

Aplicación de ingeniería de dominio para la generación de dashboards personalizados

Trabajo de Fin de Máster en Ingeniería Informática. Curso 2017-2018[ES]Los paneles de información (dashboards, en inglés), juegan un papel clave en el proceso de análisis y visualización de datos sobre un tema o dominio específico. En esencia, los dashboards muestran información y permiten a los usuarios generar conocimiento y llegar a conclusiones para poder realizar una toma de decisiones con una consistente base informativa. Sin embargo, los usuarios finales pueden presentar una serie significativa de necesidades que difieren entre sí, incluyendo la información mostrada, características de diseño o incluso funcionalidades. Aplicar un enfoque de ingeniería de dominio (dentro del paradigma de las líneas de productos software) trae consigo valiosos beneficios, permitiendo producir dashboards personalizados y adaptados a los requisitos particulares de cada usuario (o grupo de usuarios) implicado mediante la identificación de similitudes y puntos de variabilidad de cada producto que podría ser parte de la línea. A través de la parametrización de características y la configuración de los componentes de presentación y fuentes de datos, es posible obtener una línea de productos software de paneles de control, donde podrán irse variando los diversos componentes que conforman el panel, así como sus funcionalidades o fuentes de datos. La creación de esta línea de productos puede llegar a incrementar la productividad, la mantenibilidad y la trazabilidad en cuanto a la evolución de los requisitos de los dashboards, junto a otros beneficios. Para validar esta aplicación, se ha realizado un caso de estudio en el contexto del Observatorio de Empleabilidad y Empleo Universitarios, donde los usuarios (universidades españolas y administradores), podrán controlar sus propios dashboards para explorar datos sobre la empleabilidad y el empleo de sus graduados. Dichos dashboards serán generados automáticamente a través de un lenguaje específico de dominio (DSL), donde se podrán especificar los requisitos de cada usuario, y un generador de código basado en plantillas

Automatic generation of software interfaces for supporting decisionmaking processes. An application of domain engineering & machine learning

[EN] Data analysis is a key process to foster knowledge generation in particular domains or fields of study. With a strong informative foundation derived from the analysis of collected data, decision-makers can make strategic choices with the aim of obtaining valuable benefits in their specific areas of action. However, given the steady growth of data volumes, data analysis needs to rely on powerful tools to enable knowledge extraction. Information dashboards offer a software solution to analyze large volumes of data visually to identify patterns and relations and make decisions according to the presented information. But decision-makers may have different goals and, consequently, different necessities regarding their dashboards. Moreover, the variety of data sources, structures, and domains can hamper the design and implementation of these tools. This Ph.D. Thesis tackles the challenge of improving the development process of information dashboards and data visualizations while enhancing their quality and features in terms of personalization, usability, and flexibility, among others. Several research activities have been carried out to support this thesis. First, a systematic literature mapping and review was performed to analyze different methodologies and solutions related to the automatic generation of tailored information dashboards. The outcomes of the review led to the selection of a modeldriven approach in combination with the software product line paradigm to deal with the automatic generation of information dashboards. In this context, a meta-model was developed following a domain engineering approach. This meta-model represents the skeleton of information dashboards and data visualizations through the abstraction of their components and features and has been the backbone of the subsequent generative pipeline of these tools. The meta-model and generative pipeline have been tested through their integration in different scenarios, both theoretical and practical. Regarding the theoretical dimension of the research, the meta-model has been successfully integrated with other meta-model to support knowledge generation in learning ecosystems, and as a framework to conceptualize and instantiate information dashboards in different domains. In terms of the practical applications, the focus has been put on how to transform the meta-model into an instance adapted to a specific context, and how to finally transform this later model into code, i.e., the final, functional product. These practical scenarios involved the automatic generation of dashboards in the context of a Ph.D. Programme, the application of Artificial Intelligence algorithms in the process, and the development of a graphical instantiation platform that combines the meta-model and the generative pipeline into a visual generation system. Finally, different case studies have been conducted in the employment and employability, health, and education domains. The number of applications of the meta-model in theoretical and practical dimensions and domains is also a result itself. Every outcome associated to this thesis is driven by the dashboard meta-model, which also proves its versatility and flexibility when it comes to conceptualize, generate, and capture knowledge related to dashboards and data visualizations

Reusando Modelos Conceituais : Linguagem e Compilador

TCC(graduação) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Centro Tecnológico. Ciências da Computação.Este relatório apresenta uma linguagem textual para modelagem con- ceitual (baseada em classes/associações da UML e em restrições da OCL) e um compilador que pode gerar código em qualquer linguagem ou tecnologia através de templates de texto extensíveis. A linguagem e o compilador permitem a especificação da informação gerenciada por sistemas de software cada vez mais distribuídos e em constante mu- dança. A partir de uma única fonte, a geração de código automática mantém as implementações consistentes com sua especificação atra- vés das diferentes plataformas e tecnologias. Além disso, na medida em que o horizonte tecnológico se expande, os templates textuais po- dem ser modificados para adotar novas tecnologias. Diferentemente de outras abordagens, tais como MDA e MPS, espera-se que o suporte fer- ramental acompanhando esta linguagem, juntamente com sua natureza textual, facilite a integração do desenvolvimento de software dirigido por modelos no fluxo de trabalho dos desenvolvedores de software