SPIDA: Abstracting and generalizing layout design cases

Abstraction and generalization of layout design cases generate new knowledge that is more widely applicable to use than specific design cases. The abstraction and generalization of design cases into hierarchical levels of abstractions provide the designer with the flexibility to apply any level of abstract and generalized knowledge for a new layout design problem. Existing case-based layout learning (CBLL) systems abstract and generalize cases into single levels of abstractions, but not into a hierarchy. In this paper, we propose a new approach, termed customized viewpoint - spatial (CV-S), which supports the generalization and abstraction of spatial layouts into hierarchies along with a supporting system, SPIDA (SPatial Intelligent Design Assistant)

Z2SAL: a translation-based model checker for Z

Despite being widely known and accepted in industry, the Z formal specification language has not so far been well supported by automated verification tools, mostly because of the challenges in handling the abstraction of the language. In this paper we discuss a novel approach to building a model-checker for Z, which involves implementing a translation from Z into SAL, the input language for the Symbolic Analysis Laboratory, a toolset which includes a number of model-checkers and a simulator. The Z2SAL translation deals with a number of important issues, including: mapping unbounded, abstract specifications into bounded, finite models amenable to a BDD-based symbolic checker; converting a non-constructive and piecemeal style of functional specification into a deterministic, automaton-based style of specification; and supporting the rich set-based vocabulary of the Z mathematical toolkit. This paper discusses progress made towards implementing as complete and faithful a translation as possible, while highlighting certain assumptions, respecting certain limitations and making use of available optimisations. The translation is illustrated throughout with examples; and a complete working example is presented, together with performance data

On a Graph-Based Semantics for UML Class and Object Diagrams

In this paper we propose a formal extension of type graphs with notions that are commonplace in the UML and have long proven their worth in that context: namely, inheritance, multiplicity, containment and the like. We believe the absence of a comprehensive and commonly agreed upon formalisation of these notions to be an important and, unfortunately, often ignored omission. Since our eventual aim (shared by many researchers) is to give unambiguous, formal semantics to the UML using the theory of graphs and graph transformation, in this paper we propose a set of definitions to repair this omission. With respect to previous work in this direction, our aim is to arrive at more comprehensive and at the same time simpler definitions.\u

Graph- versus Vector-Based Analysis of a Consensus Protocol

The Paxos distributed consensus algorithm is a challenging case-study for standard, vector-based model checking techniques. Due to asynchronous communication, exhaustive analysis may generate very large state spaces already for small model instances. In this paper, we show the advantages of graph transformation as an alternative modelling technique. We model Paxos in a rich declarative transformation language, featuring (among other things) nested quantifiers, and we validate our model using the GROOVE model checker, a graph-based tool that exploits isomorphism as a natural way to prune the state space via symmetry reductions. We compare the results with those obtained by the standard model checker Spin on the basis of a vector-based encoding of the algorithm.Comment: In Proceedings GRAPHITE 2014, arXiv:1407.767