Alignment of viewpoint heterogeneous design models: Emergency Department Case Study

International audienceGenerally, various models can be used to describe a given application domain on different aspects and thus give rise to several views. To have a complete view of the application domain, heterogeneous models need to be unified, which is a hard task to do. To tackle this problem, we have proposed a method to relate partial models without combining them in a single model. In our approach, partial models are organized as a network of models through a virtual global model called M1C (Model of correspondences between models) which conforms to a ubiquitous language based on a Meta-Model of Correspondences (MMC). This paper presents an application of our method to an “Emergency Department” case study. It has been performed as a collaborative process involving model designers and a supervisor. The focus is put on the building of the M1C model from 3 partial models

An MDE approach for collaborative alignment of heterogeneous models

L’objectif principal du travail présenté dans cette thèse est de fournir une approche tirant profit de l’ingénierie collaborative pour aligner des modèles source représentant un système complexe lors d’une conception multi-vue. Ce travail part des limitations des approches d’alignement de modèles de la littérature. Nous étudions dans un premier temps les techniques offertes, par ces approches,pour fournir la fonctionnalité de cohérence inter-modèles. Ensuite, nous analysons les travaux de la littérature concernant la modélisation de la prise de décision en groupe. A l’issue de cet état de l’art réalisé en deux temps, nous avons élaboré le méta-modèle MMCollab et l’approche CAHM (pour Collaborative Alignment of HeterogeneousModels).CAHM fournit un processus collaboratif global composé de deux sous-processus. Le premier sous-processus concerne la mise en correspondance collaborative des modèles source. Il formalise les collaborations lors de l’élaboration des correspondances inter-modèles en offrant un mécanisme semi-automatique qui minimise l’implication des acteurs métier tout en garantissant la pertinenceet la qualité du modèle de correspondances établi.Le deuxième sous-processus traite l’évolution des modèles et méta-modèles source, et en particulier l’impact de cette évolution sur le modèle de correspondances établi, et par conséquent sur la cohérence globale du système. Il intègre des mécanismes pour détecter et calculer l’impact desévolutions, et aussi des recommandations pour réaliser le traitement collaboratif des incohérences engendrées par les changements.CAHM s’appuie sur deux méta-modèles. Le premier, MMCollab, permet de décrire les concepts fondamentaux d’une prise de décision en groupe, notamment des patrons de prise de décision fixant les caractéristiques des méthodes d’élaboration des décisions collectives. Le deuxième méta-modèle est le Méta-Modèle de Correspondances (MMC) qui permet de définir la structure du modèle de correspondances, des correspondances et des relations typées qui les caractérisent.Nous avons développé un outil support, HMCS-Collab qui permet de mettre en oeuvre le processus global de CAHM en intégrant à la fois les aspects alignement et collaboration. Il est basé sur la plateforme Eclipse et fournit une application web permettant la mise en oeuvre de l’approche par des acteurs géographiquement distribués.The design of complex systems goes through a multi-view paradigm in which separate teams, from different business viewpoints, build partial source models describing the system. As they are expressed in different languages, these partial models are called heterogeneous models. The main objective of this PhD thesis is to provide an approach that leverages collaborative engineering to ensure the overall consistency of heterogeneous source models. We first study the mechanisms offered by the existing approaches of model alignment. Then, we analyze the literature on modeling group decision-making. Based on this analysis, we have developed the meta-model MMCollab, a set of pattern-based group decision-making strategies and the two subprocesses of our approach called CAHM(Collaborative Alignment of Heterogeneous Models).The first subprocess targets the collaborative matching of source models; it formalizes the collaborative development of inter-model correspondences by offering a semi-automatic mechanism that reduces the involvement of business actors while ensuring the relevance and quality of the established model of correspondences.The second subprocess deals with the evolution of source models and meta-models, and mainly with the impact of these evolutions on the established model of correspondences. Consequently, this subprocess aims at maintaining the coherence of the overall system; it incorporates mechanisms to detect and calculate the impact of changes, as well as mechanisms and recommendations to collaboratively address inconsistencies that may occur.CAHM is based on two meta-models : A meta-model describing collaboration and group decision making in particular. This meta-model, called MMCollab, describes the fundamental concepts of a group decision-making and unfolds the phases of the constitution of collective decisions. The second meta-model is the MetaModel of Correspondences (MMC). This meta-model allows to define the structure of the model of correspondences, its correspondences and the relationships’ types that characterize those latter.The approach provides a support tool, called HMCS-Collab. Il allows unrolling CAHM’s subprocesses by integrating both alignment and collaboration aspects. It is based on the Eclipse platform and provides a web application allowing a lightweight execution of the approach by distant actors

Towards a collaborative matching approach to relate sustainable cities design models (poster)

International audienc

Une approche IDM pour l’alignement collaboratif de modèles hétérogènes

The design of complex systems goes through a multi-view paradigm in which separate teams, from different business viewpoints, build partial source models describing the system. As they are expressed in different languages, these partial models are called heterogeneous models. The main objective of this PhD thesis is to provide an approach that leverages collaborative engineering to ensure the overall consistency of heterogeneous source models. We first study the mechanisms offered by the existing approaches of model alignment. Then, we analyze the literature on modeling group decision-making. Based on this analysis, we have developed the meta-model MMCollab, a set of pattern-based group decision-making strategies and the two subprocesses of our approach called CAHM(Collaborative Alignment of Heterogeneous Models).The first subprocess targets the collaborative matching of source models; it formalizes the collaborative development of inter-model correspondences by offering a semi-automatic mechanism that reduces the involvement of business actors while ensuring the relevance and quality of the established model of correspondences.The second subprocess deals with the evolution of source models and meta-models, and mainly with the impact of these evolutions on the established model of correspondences. Consequently, this subprocess aims at maintaining the coherence of the overall system; it incorporates mechanisms to detect and calculate the impact of changes, as well as mechanisms and recommendations to collaboratively address inconsistencies that may occur.CAHM is based on two meta-models : A meta-model describing collaboration and group decision making in particular. This meta-model, called MMCollab, describes the fundamental concepts of a group decision-making and unfolds the phases of the constitution of collective decisions. The second meta-model is the MetaModel of Correspondences (MMC). This meta-model allows to define the structure of the model of correspondences, its correspondences and the relationships’ types that characterize those latter.The approach provides a support tool, called HMCS-Collab. Il allows unrolling CAHM’s subprocesses by integrating both alignment and collaboration aspects. It is based on the Eclipse platform and provides a web application allowing a lightweight execution of the approach by distant actors.L’objectif principal du travail présenté dans cette thèse est de fournir une approche tirant profit de l’ingénierie collaborative pour aligner des modèles source représentant un système complexe lors d’une conception multi-vue. Ce travail part des limitations des approches d’alignement de modèles de la littérature. Nous étudions dans un premier temps les techniques offertes, par ces approches,pour fournir la fonctionnalité de cohérence inter-modèles. Ensuite, nous analysons les travaux de la littérature concernant la modélisation de la prise de décision en groupe. A l’issue de cet état de l’art réalisé en deux temps, nous avons élaboré le méta-modèle MMCollab et l’approche CAHM (pour Collaborative Alignment of HeterogeneousModels).CAHM fournit un processus collaboratif global composé de deux sous-processus. Le premier sous-processus concerne la mise en correspondance collaborative des modèles source. Il formalise les collaborations lors de l’élaboration des correspondances inter-modèles en offrant un mécanisme semi-automatique qui minimise l’implication des acteurs métier tout en garantissant la pertinenceet la qualité du modèle de correspondances établi.Le deuxième sous-processus traite l’évolution des modèles et méta-modèles source, et en particulier l’impact de cette évolution sur le modèle de correspondances établi, et par conséquent sur la cohérence globale du système. Il intègre des mécanismes pour détecter et calculer l’impact desévolutions, et aussi des recommandations pour réaliser le traitement collaboratif des incohérences engendrées par les changements.CAHM s’appuie sur deux méta-modèles. Le premier, MMCollab, permet de décrire les concepts fondamentaux d’une prise de décision en groupe, notamment des patrons de prise de décision fixant les caractéristiques des méthodes d’élaboration des décisions collectives. Le deuxième méta-modèle est le Méta-Modèle de Correspondances (MMC) qui permet de définir la structure du modèle de correspondances, des correspondances et des relations typées qui les caractérisent.Nous avons développé un outil support, HMCS-Collab qui permet de mettre en oeuvre le processus global de CAHM en intégrant à la fois les aspects alignement et collaboration. Il est basé sur la plateforme Eclipse et fournit une application web permettant la mise en oeuvre de l’approche par des acteurs géographiquement distribués

Model driven consistency for heterogeneous models

International audienc

Heterogeneous design models alignment: from matching to consistency management

National audienceComplex systems involve several business expertises that are designed as models in different modeling languages. These partial models are manipulated by different designers, and are thus generally heterogeneous (i.e conform to different metamodels). To create a complete view of the system, we proposed a process to organize partial models as a network of models through a virtual global model. As models evolve, changing elements involved in a correspondence, may cause the inconsistency of the global model. So, we have defined a process that automatically identify changes, classify them and treat their impacts on elements of other partial models in order to maintain the global model consistency

A collaborative decision approach for alignment of heterogeneous models

International audienceDesign of complex systems goes through a multiview paradigm in which separate teams, from different business viewpoints, build partial models describing the system. As they are expressed in different languages, these partial models are called heterogeneous models. To maintain the global system's consistency, we propose a collaborative approach that combines Group Decision Making (GDM) and Model-Based Engineering. This paper presents a metamodel for collaborative decision elaboration via a set of decision policies which are instances of GDM patterns. Our approach is illustrated with a hospital Emergency Department case study and is supported by a tool allowing models alignment through GDM based processes

AHM: Handling heterogeneous models matching and consistency via MDE

International audienceTo understand and manipulate a complex system, it is necessary to apply the separation of concerns and produce distinct parts called partial models. These partial models are manipulated by different designers, and are thus generally heterogeneous, that is conform to different metamodels. Global model creation requires identifying existing correspondences between the elements of the partial models. However, in practice these correspondences are either incompletely identified or not sufficiently formalized to be maintained when the partial models evolve. This restricts their use and does not allow to fully exploit them for building the global model. In order to have a complete view of the application domain, without combining the partial models in a single one, we have proposed AHM (Alignment of Heterogeneous Models), an approach to organize partial models as a network of models through a virtual global model called M1C (Model of correspondences between models) that conforms to a MetaModel of Correspondences (MMC). As models evolve, we should consider the impact of changing an element involved in a correspondence on other models to keep the coherence of the global view. So, we have defined a process that automatically identify changes, classify them and treat their potential repercussions on elements of the other partial models in order to maintain the global model consistency. The approach is illustrated by the example of a Conference Management System and applied on a case study of an Hospital Emergency Department using HMCS (Heterogeneous Matching and Consistency management Suite) a developed support tool

Collaborative model-based matching of heterogeneous models

International audienceDesign of complex systems implies various points of view expressed by stakeholders with different areas of expertise. Each stakeholder describes his model in a Domain Specific Language, according to his point of view. Ensuring the consistency of the global system and building a cross view is a challenging task. It requires the involvement of all stakeholders to produce intermodel correspondences that satisfy their concerns. In this paper, we first introduce a metamodel of collaboration that formalizes collaborative work, then we use this metamodel to define a collaborative process for heterogeneous design models matching. This approach establishes semantic links at metamodel level by following a group decision-making process, then it refines those links semi-automatically at model level by exploiting their semantics

A Group Decision-Making Approach for Global Consistency of Heterogeneous Models

International audienceThe design of complex systems goes through a multi-view paradigm in which separate teams, from different viewpoints, build partial source models describing the system. These source models are called heterogeneous models since they are expressed in different languages. The main objective of this paper is to provide an approach — called CAHM for Collaborative Alignment of Heterogeneous Models — that leverages collaborative engineering and especially group decision-making principles to ensure the overall consistency of heterogeneous source models. This approach defines two sub-processes: a first one to collaboratively match heterogeneous models to develop the inter-model correspondences and a second one ensuring the consistency of the produced model of correspondences in case of model evolution. In this paper, we restate the basis of the CAHM approach, then, we detail the second sub-process that aims at maintaining the coherence of the overall system. This sub-process handles the evolution of source models by managing the impact of these evolutions on the established model of correspondences. It incorporates mechanisms to calculate the impact of changes, as well as mechanisms to formalize the group decision-making, while addressing the inconsistencies that may occur due to changes. CAHM is illustrated and validated on a real example of a hospital emergency department case study