SAGA: A project to automate the management of software production systems

The Software Automation, Generation and Administration (SAGA) project is investigating the design and construction of practical software engineering environments for developing and maintaining aerospace systems and applications software. The research includes the practical organization of the software lifecycle, configuration management, software requirements specifications, executable specifications, design methodologies, programming, verification, validation and testing, version control, maintenance, the reuse of software, software libraries, documentation, and automated management

Symbol–Relation Grammars: A Formalism for Graphical Languages

AbstractA common approach to the formal description of pictorial and visual languages makes use of formal grammars and rewriting mechanisms. The present paper is concerned with the formalism of Symbol–Relation Grammars (SR grammars, for short). Each sentence in an SR language is composed of a set of symbol occurrences representing visual elementary objects, which are related through a set of binary relational items. The main feature of SR grammars is the uniform way they use context-free productions to rewrite symbol occurrences as well as relation items. The clearness and uniformity of the derivation process for SR grammars allow the extension of well-established techniques of syntactic and semantic analysis to the case of SR grammars. The paper provides an accurate analysis of the derivation mechanism and the expressive power of the SR formalism. This is necessary to fully exploit the capabilities of the model. The most meaningful features of SR grammars as well as their generative power are compared with those of well-known graph grammar families. In spite of their structural simplicity, variations of SR grammars have a generative power comparable with that of expressive classes of graph grammars, such as the edNCE and the N-edNCE classes

FEAT-REP : representing features in CAD/CAM

When CAD/CAM experts view a workpiece, they perceive it in terms of their own expertise. These terms, called features, which are build upon a syntax (geometry) and a semantic (e.g. skeletal plans in manufacturing or functional relations in design), provide an abstraction mechanism to facilitate the creation, manufacturing and analysis of workpieces. Our goal is to enable experts to represent their own feature-language via a feature-grammar in the computer to build feature-based systems e.g. CAPP systems. The application of formal language terminology to the feature definitions facilitates the use of well-known formal language methods in conjunction with our flexible knowledge representation formalism FEAT-REP which will be presented in this paper

Incremental Semantic Evaluation for Interactive Systems: Inertia, Pre-emption, and Relations

Although schemes for incremental semantic evaluation have been explored and refined for more than two decades, the demands of user interaction continue to outstrip the capabilities of these schemes. The feedback produced by a semantic evaluator must support the user's programming activities: it must be structured in a way that provides the user with meaningful insight into the program (directly, or via other tools in the environment) and it must be timely. In this paper we extend an incremental attribute evaluation scheme with three techniques to better meet these demands within the context of a modeless editing system with a flexible tool integration paradigm. Efficient evaluation in the presence of syntax errors (which arise often under modeless editing) is supported by giving semantic attributes inertia: a tendency to not change unless necessary. Pre-emptive evaluation helps to reduce the delays associated with a sequence of edits, allowing an evaluator to "keep pace" with the user. Relations provide a general means to capture semantic structure (for the user, other tools, and as attributes within an evaluation) and are treated efficiently using a form of differential propagation. The combination of these three techniques meets the demands of user interaction; leaving out any one does not

FEAT-REP : representing features in CAD/CAM

When CAD/CAM experts view a workpiece, they perceive it in terms of their own expertise. These terms, called features, which are build upon a syntax (geometry) and a semantic (e.g. skeletal plans in manufacturing or functional relations in design), provide an abstraction mechanism to facilitate the creation, manufacturing and analysis of workpieces. Our goal is to enable experts to represent their own feature-language via a feature-grammar in the computer to build feature-based systems e.g. CAPP systems. The application of formal language terminology to the feature definitions facilitates the use of well-known formal language methods in conjunction with our flexible knowledge representation formalism FEAT-REP which will be presented in this paper

Matrix Graph Grammars

This book objective is to develop an algebraization of graph grammars. Equivalently, we study graph dynamics. From the point of view of a computer scientist, graph grammars are a natural generalization of Chomsky grammars for which a purely algebraic approach does not exist up to now. A Chomsky (or string) grammar is, roughly speaking, a precise description of a formal language (which in essence is a set of strings). On a more discrete mathematical style, it can be said that graph grammars -- Matrix Graph Grammars in particular -- study dynamics of graphs. Ideally, this algebraization would enforce our understanding of grammars in general, providing new analysis techniques and generalizations of concepts, problems and results known so far.Comment: 321 pages, 75 figures. This book has is publisehd by VDM verlag, ISBN 978-363921255

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

Organizacijsko modeliranje višeagentnih sustava velikih razmjera s primjenom na računalne igre

The most popular and frequent methods of conducting a system of agents, of smallor large-scale, are those based on swarm intelligence, and organisational models. Organisational models for multi-agent systems are being developed alongside their role in the modern world. Technological improvements lead to creation of systems comprising thousands, or millions, of agents – large-scale multiagent system (LSMAS). Numerous LSMAS application domains (Internet of Everything (IoE), massively multi-player online games (MMOGs), smart cities, etc.) make LSMAS a genuinely useful concept in the modern era. Recent studies argue higher efficiency of LSMAS with imposed organisation, as opposed to systems with emerging intelligence. This makes organisational modelling of LSMAS a particularly interesting research subject. Organisational model based on ontology comprising LSMAS-related organisational concepts, built conforming to modern organisational perspectives for LSMAS, is a step towards easier LSMAS modelling. The ontology is basis for an organisational metamodel for LSMAS, which, coupled with graph grammars and logic, is suitable for modelling organisational dynamics, especially in the domain of massively multi-player online role-playing games (MMORPGs).Najpoznatiji i najučestaliji oblici uređenja sustava agenata, velikog ili malog razmjera, su oni koji se temelje na inteligenciji roja i oni koji svoje osnove vuku iz organizacijskih modela. Organizacijski modeli višeagentnih sustava razvijaju se usporedno s ulogom takvih sustava u modernom svijetu. Razvojem tehnologije stvaraju se sustavi koji broje tisuće ili milijuneagenata–višeagentnisustavivelikihrazmjera(VASVR).Mnogobrojneaplikacijske domene za VASVR (Internet svega, mrežne računalne igre namijenjene većem broju igrača (MMORPG), pametni gradovi i sl.) čine VASVR realno potrebnim konceptom u moderno doba. Recentna istraživanja ukazuju na veću učinkovitost VASVR uređenih temeljem organizacijske teorije, od onih koji prate inteligencija roja, te je stoga organizacijsko modeliranje VASVR iznimno interesantno podučje za istraživanje. Organizacijski model temeljen na ontologiji organizacijskih koncepata i modernim načelima organizacije VASVR korak je prema lakšem oblikovanju VASVR. Ontologija je baza za organizacijski metamodel za VASVR koji, spojen s gramatikama grafova i logikom, dobiva na prikladnosti za modeliranje organizacijske dinamike, naročito u domeni MMORPG

Organizacijsko modeliranje višeagentnih sustava velikih razmjera s primjenom na računalne igre

The most popular and frequent methods of conducting a system of agents, of smallor large-scale, are those based on swarm intelligence, and organisational models. Organisational models for multi-agent systems are being developed alongside their role in the modern world. Technological improvements lead to creation of systems comprising thousands, or millions, of agents – large-scale multiagent system (LSMAS). Numerous LSMAS application domains (Internet of Everything (IoE), massively multi-player online games (MMOGs), smart cities, etc.) make LSMAS a genuinely useful concept in the modern era. Recent studies argue higher efficiency of LSMAS with imposed organisation, as opposed to systems with emerging intelligence. This makes organisational modelling of LSMAS a particularly interesting research subject. Organisational model based on ontology comprising LSMAS-related organisational concepts, built conforming to modern organisational perspectives for LSMAS, is a step towards easier LSMAS modelling. The ontology is basis for an organisational metamodel for LSMAS, which, coupled with graph grammars and logic, is suitable for modelling organisational dynamics, especially in the domain of massively multi-player online role-playing games (MMORPGs).Najpoznatiji i najučestaliji oblici uređenja sustava agenata, velikog ili malog razmjera, su oni koji se temelje na inteligenciji roja i oni koji svoje osnove vuku iz organizacijskih modela. Organizacijski modeli višeagentnih sustava razvijaju se usporedno s ulogom takvih sustava u modernom svijetu. Razvojem tehnologije stvaraju se sustavi koji broje tisuće ili milijuneagenata–višeagentnisustavivelikihrazmjera(VASVR).Mnogobrojneaplikacijske domene za VASVR (Internet svega, mrežne računalne igre namijenjene većem broju igrača (MMORPG), pametni gradovi i sl.) čine VASVR realno potrebnim konceptom u moderno doba. Recentna istraživanja ukazuju na veću učinkovitost VASVR uređenih temeljem organizacijske teorije, od onih koji prate inteligencija roja, te je stoga organizacijsko modeliranje VASVR iznimno interesantno podučje za istraživanje. Organizacijski model temeljen na ontologiji organizacijskih koncepata i modernim načelima organizacije VASVR korak je prema lakšem oblikovanju VASVR. Ontologija je baza za organizacijski metamodel za VASVR koji, spojen s gramatikama grafova i logikom, dobiva na prikladnosti za modeliranje organizacijske dinamike, naročito u domeni MMORPG