Modeling Language (modeling + language)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


An object-oriented design and reference implementation for web-based instructional software

COMPUTER APPLICATIONS IN ENGINEERING EDUCATION, Issue 1 2005
Shrimalini Jayaramaraja
Abstract There is an increasing global demand for web-based instructional software. The functional requirements and object-oriented design for a typical web-based instructional system are presented here using the Unified Modeling Language (UML). An interactive, reusable and scalable reference implementation of this model is developed in Java. Several deployment strategies are discussed. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 13: 26,39, 2005; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com); DOI 10.1002/cae.20027 [source]


Expressing inter-link constraints in OWL knowledge bases

EXPERT SYSTEMS, Issue 4 2004
David J. Russomanno
Abstract: In this paper the Web Ontology Language (OWL) is examined to instantiate expert system knowledge bases intended for semantic Web applications. In particular, OWL is analyzed for expressing Unified Modeling Language (UML) representations that have been augmented with propositional logic asserted as inter-link constraints. The motivation is ultimately to provide declarative propositional logic constraints that can be represented in UML and declaratively implemented using OWL and other constructs to realize semantic Web knowledge base repositories and databases to facilitate expert system applications. The results of this paper show that OWL is sufficient for capturing most inter-link constraints asserted on generalization/specialization instances; however, OWL alone is inadequate for representing some inter-link constraints asserted on associations. We propose enhancements to OWL via RDF extensions for the reification of associations into classes. These extensions mitigate all concerns that were identified in OWL as part of this study. The result is increased support of declarative constraint representations, which can be expressed in knowledge bases in the context of the semantic Web. [source]


Assessing the capability of internal metrics as early indicators of maintenance effort through experimentation

JOURNAL OF SOFTWARE MAINTENANCE AND EVOLUTION: RESEARCH AND PRACTICE, Issue 3 2005
Marcela Genero Bocco
Abstract The complexity of software artifacts is widely believed to be an important determinant of maintenance effort. This paper conducts an experimental analysis of the impact of complexity on the maintenance of the Unified Modeling Language (UML) class diagrams. This represents an analysis of the effect of an internal quality attribute on an external quality attribute. A range of complexity metrics are proposed based on an ontological analysis of the UML language and previous research. The relative influence of these metrics on maintenance effort is then evaluated using a laboratory experiment. A within-subjects design was used, with subjects required to modify a range of UML class diagrams with different levels of complexity. Only two of the metrics emerged as significant determinants of maintenance effort: number of methods and number of associations. Together these explain around 28% of the variation in maintenance effort. While these findings are encouraging, further research is necessary to explore the ability of these metrics to predict maintenance effort. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Managing Quality in the E-Service System: Development and Application of a Process Model

PRODUCTION AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT, Issue 4 2004
Joy M. Field
In this paper, we develop a process model for assessing and managing e-service quality based on the underlying components of the e-service system and, in turn, address the growing need to look in more detail at the system component level for sources of poor quality. The proposed process model is comprised of a set of entities representing the e-service system, a network defining the linking between all pairs of entities via transactions and product flows, and a set of outcomes of the processes in terms of quality dimensions. The process model is developed using Unified Modeling Language (UML), a pictorial language for specifying service designs that has achieved widespread acceptance among e-service designers. Examples of applications of the process model are presented to illustrate how the model can be use to identify operational levers for managing and improving e-service quality. [source]


Aspect-enhanced goal-driven sequence diagram

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS, Issue 8 2010
Jonathan Lee
Recently, aspect-oriented approaches have resulted in a tremendous impact on the processing of broadly scoped properties during the development of software systems. However, the weaving mechanism of these crosscutting concerns cannot be easily represented with the extant unified modeling language (UML) notation at the early stage of software development life cycle. As an attempt toward the investigation of how the crosscutting behavior takes place, we proposed, in this work, an aspect-enhanced goal-driven approach to modeling the aspectual behavior in UML state transition diagrams and sequence diagrams with the proposed interaction operators based on the aspectual weaving semantics. By introducing the proposed interaction operations in the UML combined fragment, UML sequence diagrams can be further enhanced to support the modeling of the interactions between aspectual and base behavior in the analysis and design stage of software development. To further exemplify our points, the meeting scheduler system is chosen as a vehicle to illustrate the proposed approach. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]


An MDE modeling framework for measurable goal-oriented requirements

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS, Issue 8 2010
Fernando Molina
It is a proved fact that the appropriate management of requirements is one of the most influential factors in the success of software development projects. With the advent of the model-driven engineering (MDE) development paradigm, the need for formal gathering mechanisms, which provide the necessary degree of nonambiguity and detail, has led to the proposal of a myriad of requirements metamodels. However, a great disparity exists, both in the concepts/relationships and in the underlying semantics involved in each metamodel. Moreover, most existing proposals lack backward (e.g., alignment with business goals) or forward (e.g., connection with validation methods) traceability. In view of this situation, this article proposes a "measurable requirements metamodel" that offers support to the elicitation of measurable requirements. This support is based on the explicit connection of goals, requirements, and measures, thus fostering a goal-driven measurable requirements engineering (RE) perspective. Additionally, since it is well known that metamodels only reflect the abstract syntax of the modeling language, the proposed metamodel also includes a notation (concrete syntax) which, for reasons of understandability, is based on the goal-oriented requirements language (GRL) notation. This notation is supported by a unified modeling language (UML) profile that facilitates its adoption by RE analysts in the context of any UML-based software engineering process. To support this proposal, an Eclipse tool has been developed. This tool permits the integration of measurable requirements as a driving force in the context of a given MDE development process. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]