The Complexity of Routing with Few Collisions

We study the computational complexity of routing multiple objects through a network in such a way that only few collisions occur: Given a graph $G$ with two distinct terminal vertices and two positive integers $p$ and $k$, the question is whether one can connect the terminals by at least $p$ routes (e.g. paths) such that at most $k$ edges are time-wise shared among them. We study three types of routes: traverse each vertex at most once (paths), each edge at most once (trails), or no such restrictions (walks). We prove that for paths and trails the problem is NP-complete on undirected and directed graphs even if $k$ is constant or the maximum vertex degree in the input graph is constant. For walks, however, it is solvable in polynomial time on undirected graphs for arbitrary $k$ and on directed graphs if $k$ is constant. We additionally study for all route types a variant of the problem where the maximum length of a route is restricted by some given upper bound. We prove that this length-restricted variant has the same complexity classification with respect to paths and trails, but for walks it becomes NP-complete on undirected graphs

A View on a Successful International Educational Project in Software Engineering

In this paper, a successful and fruitful joint project will be presented. The project joins participants from 9 countries and from 15 universities. Since it started in 2001, this project entitled “Software Engineering: Computer Science Education and Research Cooperation” helped participants to gain excellent, up to date educational material, apply modern teaching methods, exchange experiences with other participants, and work jointly on the further development of lectures, case-studies, assignments, examination questions, and other necessary elements of a course. Project works under auspices of Stability Pact of South-Eastern Europe, and is supported by DAAD. The project started with the creation of a common beginning course in “Software Engineering”, but over time it grew and the number of other courses was developed. Finished almost completely are the courses in “Object-oriented programming”, “Software Project Management”, “Advanced Compiler Construction”, and “Data Structures and Algorithms”, and some other courses are under development. Aside from the educational collaboration, project members also developed good scientific cooperation, and published several research papers

Ansätze zur kollaborativen Softwareerstellung

Die Erstellung von Software zur Unterstützung betrieblicher Abläufe wird in zunehmendem Maße komplexer. Da der Erstellungsprozess in der Softwareindustrie traditionell einer Werkstatt- bzw. Einzelfertigung entspricht, erfordert die stetig steigende Nachfrage nach betrieblicher Software und die fortschreitende Globalisierung die rationellere Gestaltung der Softwareentwicklung. In der Literatur werden daher immer häufiger die Industrialisierung der Softwareerstellung und neuartige Formen der Spezialisierung, Arbeitsteilung und Zusammenarbeit (engl. Collaboration) vorgestellt. Dabei kann im Wesentlichen unterschieden werden, ob die Zusammenarbeit einzelner Akteure und Arbeitsgruppen auf Projektebene oder die strategische Zusammenarbeit von Unternehmen innerhalb der Softwareindustrie behandelt wird. Über diese beiden grundlegenden Betrachtungsebenen hinweg lassen sich existierende Ansätze zur arbeitsteiligen Softwareerstellung entlang mehrerer Dimensionen, wie räumliche, zeitliche und organisatorische Verteilung der Aktivitäten im Prozess sowie Intensität und Richtung der Zusammenarbeitsbeziehungen klassifizieren. Ziel dieses Artikels ist es, einen umfassenden und systematischen Überblick über bestehende Ansätze zur kollaborativen Softwareerstellung zu geben, indem diese in einen generischen Klassifikationsrahmen eingeordnet werden. Des Weiteren soll eine etymologische und pragmatische Herleitung des Kollaborationsbegriffs die Etablierung eines eigenständigen Forschungsparadigmas im Rahmen der Wirtschaftsinformatik ermöglichen

Creative User-Centered Visualization Design for Energy Analysts and Modelers

We enhance a user-centered design process with techniques that deliberately promote creativity to identify opportunities for the visualization of data generated by a major energy supplier. Visualization prototypes developed in this way prove effective in a situation whereby data sets are largely unknown and requirements open – enabling successful exploration of possibilities for visualization in Smart Home data analysis. The process gives rise to novel designs and design metaphors including data sculpting. It suggests: that the deliberate use of creativity techniques with data stakeholders is likely to contribute to successful, novel and effective solutions; that being explicit about creativity may contribute to designers developing creative solutions; that using creativity techniques early in the design process may result in a creative approach persisting throughout the process. The work constitutes the first systematic visualization design for a data rich source that will be increasingly important to energy suppliers and consumers as Smart Meter technology is widely deployed. It is novel in explicitly employing creativity techniques at the requirements stage of visualization design and development, paving the way for further use and study of creativity methods in visualization design

Parameterized Algorithmics for Computational Social Choice: Nine Research Challenges

Computational Social Choice is an interdisciplinary research area involving Economics, Political Science, and Social Science on the one side, and Mathematics and Computer Science (including Artificial Intelligence and Multiagent Systems) on the other side. Typical computational problems studied in this field include the vulnerability of voting procedures against attacks, or preference aggregation in multi-agent systems. Parameterized Algorithmics is a subfield of Theoretical Computer Science seeking to exploit meaningful problem-specific parameters in order to identify tractable special cases of in general computationally hard problems. In this paper, we propose nine of our favorite research challenges concerning the parameterized complexity of problems appearing in this context

Interuniversitäres Doktorandenseminar Wirtschaftsinformatik unter Beteiligung der Universitäten Freiberg, Halle, Leipzig, Jena, Dresden und Chemnitz an der TU Bergakademie Freiberg; Dezember 2010

Die internationale Beachtung der Forschungsergebnisse in der Wirtschaftsinformatik hat in den letzten Jahren an Bedeutung gewonnen. Dabei wird dem kritischen Diskurs ein wachsender Stellenwert eingeräumt. Hier gilt es, den wissenschaftlichen Nachwuchs in der Konzeption und Durchführung der eigenen Forschung und den anzuwendenden Forschungsmethoden eine Lern- und Diskussionsplattform zu bieten, um sich der wissenschaftlichen Aussprache zum jeweiligen Gestaltungs- und Erkenntnisziel zu stellen. Um den Dialog zwischen Wirtschaftsinformatikern unterschiedlicher Schwerpunkte zu fördern, veranstalten die mitteldeutschen Wirtschaftsinformatikprofessuren der Universitäten Chemnitz, Dresden, Freiberg, Halle, Jena und Leipzig semesterweise eine Doktorandenkolloquium, um die wissenschaftliche Arbeit der Doktoranden kritisch zu begleiten und sie so in ihrer Entwicklung zu unterstützen. Dabei lassen sich im Programm der Freiberger Veranstaltung im Dezember 2010 zentrale Themen erkennen. Zum einen finden sich Facetten über Anwendungspotenziale der Business Intelligence als auch zum anderen Beiträge zur Definition und Einsatz von Services in Unternehmen. Ergänzend wird dies um Potenziale in der Softwarevisualisierung als auch durch einen Beitrag zur Erfolgsmessung von IT-Systemen. Wir freuen uns, Ihnen mit diesem Freiberger Arbeitspapier die Beiträge zur Verfügung stellen zu können, die traditionell in einem intensiven Austausch auf der Veranstaltung diskutiert werden, um so auch weitere Forschungsarbeiten anzuregen. -- The international recognition of research results in the scientific field of business information systems has increased in the recent years. Therefore the critical discourse on research topics has a growing emphasis. It is important to offer young scientists a platform for discussion and learning in a scientific debate about the respective scientific objective in the design and implementation of their own research and applied research methods. To promote dialogue between business information systems researchers of different focal points, the Middle German business information systems chairs from the Universities of Chemnitz, Dresden, Freiberg, Halle, Jena, and Leipzig organize a doctoral colloquium each semester to accompany the scientific work of young researches in a critical way in order to assist them in their development. The agenda shows the main topics of the event at the University of Freiberg in December 2010. Aspects related to potential applications of Business Intelligence as well as other contributions about the definition and usage of services in companies. This is in addition to the potentials of software visualization in the same way as analyzing success factors of IT systems. We are pleased to provide you the Freiberger working paper including the contributions of the participants that are traditionally discussed in an intense exchange at the meeting in order to stimulate further research.Business Intelligence,Entscheidungsunterstützung,Informationssysteme,Erfolgsfaktoren bei Informationssystemen,Softwarevisualisierung,SOA,Services,Business Intelligence,Decision Support,Information System,IS Success Factors,Software Visualization,SOA