Using the DiaSpec design language and compiler to develop robotics systems

A Sense/Compute/Control (SCC) application is one that interacts with the physical environment. Such applications are pervasive in domains such as building automation, assisted living, and autonomic computing. Developing an SCC application is complex because: (1) the implementation must address both the interaction with the environment and the application logic; (2) any evolution in the environment must be reflected in the implementation of the application; (3) correctness is essential, as effects on the physical environment can have irreversible consequences. The SCC architectural pattern and the DiaSpec domain-specific design language propose a framework to guide the design of such applications. From a design description in DiaSpec, the DiaSpec compiler is capable of generating a programming framework that guides the developer in implementing the design and that provides runtime support. In this paper, we report on an experiment using DiaSpec (both the design language and compiler) to develop a standard robotics application. We discuss the benefits and problems of using DiaSpec in a robotics setting and present some changes that would make DiaSpec a better framework in this setting.Comment: DSLRob'11: Domain-Specific Languages and models for ROBotic systems (2011

Towards guidelines for building a business case and gathering evidence of software reference architectures in industry

Background: Software reference architectures are becoming widely adopted by organizations that need to support the design and maintenance of software applications of a shared domain. For organizations that plan to adopt this architecture-centric approach, it becomes fundamental to know the return on investment and to understand how software reference architectures are designed, maintained, and used. Unfortunately, there is little evidence-based support to help organizations with these challenges. Methods: We have conducted action research in an industry-academia collaboration between the GESSI research group and everis, a multinational IT consulting firm based in Spain. Results: The results from such collaboration are being packaged in order to create guidelines that could be used in similar contexts as the one of everis. The main result of this paper is the construction of empirically-grounded guidelines that support organizations to decide on the adoption of software reference architectures and to gather evidence to improve RA-related practices. Conclusions: The created guidelines could be used by other organizations outside of our industry-academia collaboration. With this goal in mind, we describe the guidelines in detail for their use.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

An exploratory case study on reusing architecture decisions in software-intensive system projects

Reusing architecture decisions from previous projects promises to support architects when taking decisions. However, little is known about the state of art of decision-reuse and the benefits and challenges associated with reusing decisions. Therefore, we study how software architects reuse architecture decisions, the stakeholders and their concerns related to decision-reuse, and how architects perceive the ideal future state of decision-reuse. We conducted a qualitative explorative case study in the software-intensive systems industry. The study has shown that architects frequently reuse decisions but are confined to decisions they already know or have heard about. The results also suggest that architects reuse decisions in an ad-hoc manner. Moreover this study presents a conceptual model of decision-reuse and lists stakeholder concerns with regards to decision-reuse. The results of this study indicate that improving the documentation and discoverability of decisions holds a large potential to increase reuse of decisions and that decision documentation is not only important for system understanding or in the context of architecture reviews but also to support architects in upcoming projects

Reference: a field guide for new practices

The following work is an experimentation within architecture to promote a social ideology of reuse, where we must first re-frame and dismantle the traditional perceptions of building materials, in order for the discipline of architecture to utilize the practice of unbuilding.The thesis analyzes the suburban condition and its relationship to big box stores like Home Depot and Lowes. Through a re-imagining of this relationship the question of material longevity centers itself as the main design motive for the project and how a new understanding of this potential can be extruded through community engagement. This new depot which the work understands as “municipal” sets to prioritize a dismantling of typical single family residential units, such as wood studs from a wall, as the product for this new depot. The representation of this thesis acts as a field guide to be the main instruction manual for how a community can take part in this process. Specifically our community is centered in a suburb of Chicago that takes full advantage of the grid/lot/alley structure that defines this region of the country. Within this community exists a potential variety of knowledge about construction so information sharing, such as understanding how to build and unbuild, between neighbors is vital. The municipal depot or the less formal “shed”, acts as the hub for this type of information sharing at multiple levels either academic or accidental. The field guide becomes an artifact of this knowledge as it sets to be a basis of this education and transforms into a larger bank of instruction, put together by the community, within the website. It is also important to note that each act of unbuilding is dependent on the main characteristics of the residential units themselves so other implementations of this system should be adaptable rather than standardized of which this is the first of its kind

Architectural decision-making as a financial investment:An industrial case study

Context Making architectural decisions is a crucial task but also very difficult, considering the scope of the decisions and their impact on quality attributes. To make matters worse, architectural decisions need to combine both technical and business factors, which are very dissimilar by nature. Objectives We provide a cost-benefit approach and supporting tooling that treats architectural decisions as financial investments by: (a) combining both technical and business factors; and (b) transforming the involved factors into currency, allowing their uniform aggregation. Apart from illustrating the method, we validate both the proposed approach and the tool, in terms of fitness for purpose, usability, and potential limitations. Method To validate the approach, we have performed a case study in a software development company, in the domain of low-energy embedded systems. We employed triangulation in the data collection phase of the case study, by performing interviews, focus groups, an observational session, and questionnaires. Results The results of the study suggested that the proposed approach: (a) provides a structured process for systematizing decision-making; (b) enables the involvement of multiple stakeholders, distributing the decision-making responsibility to more knowledgeable people; (c) uses monetized representations that are important for assessing decisions in a unified manner; and (d) enables decision reuse and documentation. Conclusions The results of the study suggest that architectural decision-making can benefit from treating this activity as a financial investment. The various benefits that have been identified from mixing financial and technological aspects are well-accepted from industrial stakeholders

Ontology-based patterns for the integration of business processes and enterprise application architectures

Increasingly, enterprises are using Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA) as an approach to Enterprise Application Integration (EAI). SOA has the potential to bridge the gap between business and technology and to improve the reuse of existing applications and the interoperability with new ones. In addition to service architecture descriptions, architecture abstractions like patterns and styles capture design knowledge and allow the reuse of successfully applied designs, thus improving the quality of software. Knowledge gained from integration projects can be captured to build a repository of semantically enriched, experience-based solutions. Business patterns identify the interaction and structure between users, business processes, and data. Specific integration and composition patterns at a more technical level address enterprise application integration and capture reliable architecture solutions. We use an ontology-based approach to capture architecture and process patterns. Ontology techniques for pattern definition, extension and composition are developed and their applicability in business process-driven application integration is demonstrated