Generating natural language descriptions of Z test cases

Critical software most often requires an independent validation and verification (IVV). IVV is usually performed by domain experts, who are not familiar with specific, many times formal, development technologies. In addition, model-based testing (MBT) is a promising testing technique for the verification of critical software. Test cases generated by MBT tools are logical descriptions. The problem is, then, to provide natural language (NL) descriptions of these test cases, making them accessible to domain experts. In this paper, we present ongoing research aimed at finding a suitable method for generating NL descriptions from test cases in a formal specification language. A first prototype has been developed and applied to a real-world project in the aerospace sector

Development of a client interface for a methodology independent object-oriented CASE tool : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Computer Science at Massey University

The overall aim of the research presented in this thesis is the development of a prototype CASE Tool user interface that supports the use of arbitrary methodology notations for the construction of small-scale diagrams. This research is part of the larger CASE Tool project, MOOT (Massey's Object Oriented Tool). MOOT is a meta-system with a client-server architecture that provides a framework within which the semantics and syntax of methodologies can be described. The CASE Tool user interface is implemented in Java so it is as portable as possible and has a consistent look and feel. It has been designed as a client to the rest of the MOOT system (which acts as a server). A communications protocol has been designed to support the interaction between the CASE Tool client and a MOOT server. The user interface design of MOOT must support all possible graphical notations. No assumptions about the types of notations that a software engineer may use can be made. MOOT therefore provides a specification language called NDL for the definition of a methodology's syntax. Hence, the MOOT CASE Tool client described in this thesis is a shell that is parameterised by NDL specifications. The flexibility provided by such a high level of abstraction presents significant challenges in terms of designing effective human-computer interaction mechanisms for the MOOT user interface. Functional and non-functional requirements of the client user interface have been identified and applied during the construction of the prototype. A notation specification that defines the syntax for Coad and Yourdon OOA/OOD has been written in NDL and used as a test case. The thesis includes the iterative evaluation and extension of NDL resulting from the prototype development. The prototype has shown that the current approach to NDL is efficacious, and that the syntax and semantics of a methodology description can successfully be separated. The developed prototype has shown that it is possible to build a simple, non-intrusive, and efficient, yet flexible, useable, and helpful interface for meta-CASE tools. The development of the CASE Tool client, through its generic, methodology independent design, has provided a pilot with which future ideas may be explored

A Platform for Virtual Reality Applications

Vynález webu (World Wide Web) vyvolal převrat ve způsobu, jakým lidstvo sdílí informace. Přes jeho úspěch obsahuje web mnoho hluboce zakořeněných nedostatků. V této práci zkoumám tyto nedostatky a vymýšlím řešení pro vytvoření platformy založené na technologiích VR. Tato část práce je soustředěna na vývoj základového vykreslovacího a virtualizačního enginu pro aplikace této platformy.The World Wide Web has revolutionized the way humanity shares and accesses information. Despite its success, the World Wide Web has numerous deeply rooted shortcomings. I investigate these shortcomings and come up with solutions to creating a platform based on consumer VR technology. This part of the work focuses on the development of the base rendering and virtualization engine for applications utilizing the platform

The State of the Art in Language Workbenches. Conclusions from the Language Workbench Challenge

Language workbenches are tools that provide high-level mechanisms for the implementation of (domain-specific) languages. Language workbenches are an active area of research that also receives many contributions from industry. To compare and discuss existing language workbenches, the annual Language Workbench Challenge was launched in 2011. Each year, participants are challenged to realize a given domain-specific language with their workbenches as a basis for discussion and comparison. In this paper, we describe the state of the art of language workbenches as observed in the previous editions of the Language Workbench Challenge. In particular, we capture the design space of language workbenches in a feature model and show where in this design space the participants of the 2013 Language Workbench Challenge reside. We compare these workbenches based on a DSL for questionnaires that was realized in all workbenches

Investigating the Efficacy of Organizational Effectiveness Tools in IT Projects

A qualitative action research investigation of the impact of Organizational Effectiveness (OE) tools in IT projects was conducted in a graduate-level IT project management course offered at a major research university. The results of the research validate the efficacy of OE tools and behaviors in IT project management and consulting. The present study measured the effectiveness of the OE approach, project time, team satisfaction, and client satisfaction on corporate technology projects. The paper identifies and elaborates upon a number of elements that affect project success. Organizational aspects of project management are explored and discussed

Towards a multidimensional self-assessment for software process improvement: a pilot tool

The SPI Manifesto provides a framework for guiding software development organisations in their improvement efforts. Based on the Values of People, Business and Change, which are supported and informed by one or more of the ten principles, the designer and developer can avoid pitfalls, minimise risks and make their business successful. It has been established, in theory and practice, that improving the process results in improvement of the products and services emanating from that process. Following a number of earlier multidimensional analyses of the SPI Manifesto, carried out by the authors, a series of tabular representations identifying the nature, importance and strength of relationships between the Manifesto’s Values and Principles in terms of eight dimensions encapsulated in the acronym STEEPLED (Sociocultural, Technical, Economic, Environmental, Political, Legal, Ethical and Demographic) were developed. In this paper, we present a conceptualisation of a pilot automated tool (based on the STEEPLED Analysis), which could, potentially, be implemented/realised and used for self-assessment by software developing organisations. Starting with a self-assessment, current issues and requirements could be identified and revealed. The self-assessment using the pilot automated tool would, additionally, reveal areas requiring improvement, and would serve as a guide for the participating organisation to put focus on prioritising candidate process areas that require improvement. Also, the field testing of the pilot tool could enable the design and improvement of the tool itself, which, in turn, will be used in future for expert external/independent process assessment

Exegesis : photographs and place

Photographs are used to reinforce arguments about our history, our culture, and our identity. With billions of photographs now available online, growing numbers of cameras capturing every moment, and people sharing the resulting images in an instant across the globe, what is the connection between even a single photograph and the basic truth of the reality it purports to represent? Focusing on geographic location, my research interest for my creative practice is in how photographs document and represent place. Place helps to define who we are. Place informs us about our past and about the foundations of our community and our culture. Photographs help to define place because they provide evidence for what is there, what was there, and what happened there. In my studio practice I explore the use of rephotography to highlight the differences in material form of place over time. The exhibition explores the place of the photograph in the modern world by comparing photographs taken in the past with those taken in the same places almost forty years later with a series of photographs taken in 1973 in and around Cronulla Street, south of Sydney, and rephotographs of the same scenes in 2011. They show sometimes subtle, sometimes clear, changes in our environment and behaviour that go unnoticed without photographic evidence. To better understand what the photographs in my exhibition are actually saying to us, and to explore what photographs from the past actually tell us, for my dissertation I examined a number of photographs from a more distant, nineteenth or early twentieth century past that proved to be ambiguous. On the basis of my research, I argue that the model of the nineteenth century photograph as an indexical truth, modulated by cultural interpretation, is more complex than is generally thought. Online access to substantially expanded resources through more sophisticated digital tools today shows clearly that the staged photographs should not be considered as 'false' simply because they are not documents of true events. They give us access to the way people then constructed their reality. This offers us useful information about the way they thought about themselves and their society. I also argue that online digital tools, the resources they allow us to access easily, and the opportunities provided by the internet to interact with each other change the rules significantly for Australian institutions of photographic history - galleries, libraries, archives and museums. These institutions are yet to realise the implications of these changed rules, and to embrace the opportunities provided by them to engage actively with individual researchers

On simulating shoreline evolution using a hybrid 2D/one-line model

Hybrid 2D/one-line shoreline models are becoming increasingly applied over the mesoscale (101–102 years; 101–102 km) to inform coastal management. These models typically apply the one-line theory to simulate changes in shoreline morphology based on littoral drift gradients calculated from a 2DH coupled wave, flow, and sediment transport model. However, the key boundary conditions needed to effectively apply hybrid 2D/one-line models and their applicability beyond simple planform morphologies are uncertain, which can potentially comprise coastal management decisions. To address these uncertainties, an extensive numerical modelling campaign is carried out to both assess the sensitivity and calibrate an advanced hybrid 2D/one-line model (MIKE21) against six variables in three different sandy coastal system morphologies: (a) a simple planform morphology with a gentle sloping profile, (b) a simple planform morphology with a steep sloping profile, and (c) a complex planform morphology. The six variables considered include nearshore discretisation, bathymetry, bed friction, sand grain diameter, sand porosity, sediment grading, and the weir coefficient of hard defence structures. Five key conclusions are derived from the sensitivity testing and calibration results. First, the optimal boundary conditions for modelling shoreline evolution vary according to coastal geomorphology and processes. Second, specifying boundary conditions within physically realistic ranges does not guarantee reliable shoreline evolution predictions. Third, nearshore discretisation should be treated as a typical calibration parameter as (a) the finest discretisation does not guarantee the most accurate predictions, and (b) defining a discretisation based on process length scales also does not guarantee reliable predictions. Fourth, hybrid 2D/one-line models are not valid for application in complex planform morphologies plausibly because of the one-line theory assumption of a spatially invariable closure depth. Fifth, hybrid 2D/one-line models have limited applicability in simple planform morphologies where the active beach profile is subject to direct human modification, plausibly due to the one-line theory assumption of a constant time-averaged coastal profile form. These findings provide key theoretical insights into the drivers of shoreline evolution in sandy coastal systems, which have practical implications for refining the continued application of shoreline evolution models