Rapid advances in electronic communication devices and technologies have resulted in a shift in the way communication applications are being developed. These new development strategies provide abstract views of the underlying communication technologies and lead to the so-called user-centric communication applications. One user-centric communication (UCC) initiative is the Communication Virtual Machine (CVM) technology, which uses the Communication Modeling Language (CML) for modeling communication services and the CVM for realizing these services. In communication-intensive domains such as telemedicine and disaster management, there is an increasing need for user-centric communication applications that are domain-specific and that support the dynamic coordination of communication services commonly found in collaborative communication scenarios. However, UCC approaches like the CVM offer little support for the dynamic coordination of communication services resulting from inherent dependencies between individual steps of a collaboration task. Users either have to manually coordinate communication services, or reply on a process modeling technique to build customized solutions for services in a specific domain that are usually costly, rigidly defined and technology specific. This dissertation proposes a domain-specific modeling approach to address this problem by extending the CVM technology with communication-specific abstractions of workflow concepts commonly found in business processes. The extension involves (1) the definition of the Workflow Communication Modeling Language (WF-CML), a superset of CML, and (2) the extension of the functionality of CVM to process communication-specific workflows. The definition of WF-CML includes the metamodel and the dynamic semantics for control constructs and concurrency. We also extended the CVM prototype to handle the modeling and realization of WF-CML models. A comparative study of the proposed approach with other workflow environments validates the claimed benefits of WF-CML and CVM.

The high demand for building digital libraries by non-experts requires a simplified modeling process and rapid generation of digital libraries. To enable rapid generation, digital libraries should be modeled with descriptive languages. A visual modeling tool would be helpful to non-experts so they may model a digital library without knowing the theoretical foundations and the syntactical details of the descriptive language. In this thesis, we describe the design and implementation of a domain-specific visual modeling tool, 5SGraph, aimed at modeling digital libraries. 5SGraph is based on a metamodel that describes digital libraries using the 5S theory. The output from 5SGraph is a digital library model that is an instance of the metamodel, expressed in the 5S description language (5SL). 5SGraph presents the metamodel in a structured toolbox, and provides a top-down visual building environment for designers. The visual proximity of the metamodel and instance model facilitates requirements gathering and simplifies the modeling process. Furthermore, 5SGraph maintains semantic constraints specified by the 5S metamodel and enforces these constraints over the instance model to ensure semantic consistency and correctness. 5SGraph enables component reuse to reduce the time and efforts of designers. The results from a pilot usability test confirm the usefulness of 5SGraph. / Master of Science

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Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / This thesis investigates integrating recommender systems into model-driven engineering tools powered by domain-specific modeling languages. The objective of integrating recommender systems into such tools is overcome a shortcoming of proactive modeling where the modeler must inform the model intelligence engine how to progress when it cannot automatically determine the next modeling action to execute (e.g., add, delete, or edit). To evaluate our objective, we integrated a recommender system into the Proactive Modeling Engine, which is a add-on for the Generic Modeling Environment (GME). We then conducted experiments to both subjective and objectively evaluate the enhancements to the Proactive Modeling Engine. The results of our experiments show that integrating recommender system into the Proactive Modeling Engine results in an Average Reciprocal Hit-Rank (ARHR) of 0.871. Likewise, the integration results in System Usability Scale (SUS) rating of 77. Finally, user feedback shows that the integration of the recommender system to the Proactive Modeling Engine increases the usability and learnability of domain-speci c modeling tools.

When developing domain-specific modeling languages (DSMLs), software engineers have to make a number of important design decisions on the DSML itself, or on the software-development process that is applied to develop the DSML. Thus, making well-informed design decisions is a critical factor in developing DSMLs. To support this decision-making process, the model-driven development community has started to collect established design practices in terms of patterns, guidelines, story-telling, and procedural models. However, most of these documentation practices do not capture the details necessary to reuse the rationale behind these decisions in other DSML projects. In this paper, we report on a three-year research effort to compile and to empirically validate a catalog of structured decision descriptions (decision records) for UML-based DSMLs. This catalog is based on design decisions extracted from 90 DSML projects. These projects were identified - among others - via an extensive systematic literature review (SLR) for the years 2005 - 2012. Based on more than 8,000 candidate publications, we finally selected 84 publications for extracting design-decision data. The extracted data were evaluated quantitatively using a frequent-item-set analysis to obtain characteristic combinations of design decisions and qualitatively to document recurring documentation issues for UML-based DSMLs. We revised the collected decision records based on this evidence and made the decision-record catalog for developing UML-based DSMLs publicly available. Furthermore, our study offers insights into UML usage (e.g. diagram types) and into the adoption of UML extension techniques (e.g. metamodel extensions, profiles).

The simulation world defines conceptual modeling as a tool that provides a clear understanding of the target domain or problem. Although there are some approaches offering useful insights on conceptual modeling in the simulation development lifecycle, they do not provide adequate guidance on how to develop a conceptual model. This thesis study presents a framework for developing conceptual models for simulation systems that is based on the idea that the modelers will develop conceptual models more effectively by following a defined conceptual modeling method, using a domain specific notation and a tool. The conceptual model development method is defined in a step-by-step manner and explanations about the notation and tool are provided when required. A multiple-case study involving two cases is conducted in order to evaluate the applicability of the method for conceptual modeling and validate the expected benefits.

There has been a recent interest in the model-based development approach in the modeling and simulation community. The Model-Driven Architecture (MDA) of OMG envisions a fully model-based development process where models are created for capturing not only requirements, but also designs and implementations. Domain-specific metamodels and model transformations constitute the cornerstones of this approach. We have developed transformations from the data part of Field Artillery (FA) domain models to High Level Architecture (HLA) Object Model Template (OMT) models, honoring the MDA philosophy. In the MDA terminology, the former corresponds to the CIM (Computation-Independent Model) or, arguably, PIM (Platform-Independent Model), and the latter corresponds to the PSM (Platform-Specific Model), where the platform is HLA. As a case study for the source metamodel, we have developed a metamodel for the data model part of the (observed) fire techniques of the FA domain. All of the entities in the metamodel are derived from the NATO&rsquo / s Command and Control Information Exchange Data Model (C2IEDM) elements.

Domain Specific Modeling (DSM) aims to increase productivity of software development by raising the level of abstraction beyond code concepts and using domain concepts. By providing a generative model-driven tooling component and runtime support, the Eclipse Graphical Modeling Framework (GMF) aims to simplify the creation of diagram editors for specific domains based on a series of model creation and transformation steps. GMF leverages the Eclipse Modeling Framework (EMF) and the Eclipse Graphical Editing Framework (GEF) to allow the graphical modeling of Domain Specific Languages (DSL). A Domain Specific Language (DSL) is developed specifically for a specific task and specific domain. In this research, the State Machine Compiler (SMC) represents the specific domain for which a DSL in a form of a diagram editor is developed using GMF. SMC is an open source Java tool allowing generation of state pattern classes from textual descriptions of state machines. The main objective of this research is to describe the use of GMF, highlight potential pitfalls and identify strengths and weaknesses of GMF based on certain criteria. To be able to feed the SMC diagrams created with the editor into SMC, a Java Emitter Templates (JET) transformation is used to transform SMC model instances into textual format expected by SMC. / Thesis (Master, Computing) -- Queen's University, 2011-04-14 18:58:08.797

Today it is realized by industry that automation of software development leads to increased productivity, maintainability and higher quality. Model-Driven Development (MDD) aims to replace manual software development methods by automated methods using Domain-Specific Languages (DSLs) to express domain concepts effectively. Main actors in software industry, Microsoft and IBM have recognized the need to provide technologies and tools to allow building DSLs to support MDD. On the one hand, Microsoft is building DSL Tools integrated in Visual Studio 2005; on the other hand IBM is contributing to the development of Eclipse Modeling Frameworks (EMF/GEF/GMF), both tools aim to make development and deployment of DSLs easier. Software practitioners seek for guidelines regarding how to adopt these tools. In this thesis, the author presents the current state-of-the-art in MDD standards and Domain-Specific Modeling (DSM). Furthermore, the author presents current state-of-the-tools for DSM and performs a comparison of Microsoft DSL Tools and Eclipse EMF/GEF/GMF Frameworks based on a set of evaluation criteria. For the purpose of comparison the author developed two DSL designers (one by using each DSM tool). Based on the experiences gained in development of these DSL designers, the author prepared guidelines regarding how to adopt these tools to existing development environments as well as their advantages and drawbacks.

Les appareils modernes sont constitués de plusieurs sous-systèmes de différentes sortes qui communiquent et interagissent. L'hétérogénéité de ces sous-systèmes et leurs interactions complexes rendent très délicate leur développement. L'approche d'ingénierie dirigée par les modèles apporte une solution en permettant l'expression de nombreux modèles structurels et comportementaux de natures très diverses. Dans ce contexte, il est nécessaire de construire un modèle unique qui intègre ces différents modèles afin d'y appliquer des méthodes de validation et de vérification pour permettre aux ingénieurs système de comprendre et de valider un comportement global. Cependant, la coordination manuelle des différents modèles qui composent le système est une opération source d'erreurs et les approches automatiques proposent des patrons de coordination ad-hoc pour certaines paires de langages. Dans ces approches, le patron de coordination est souvent encapsulé dans un outil dont il est difficile d'extraire les liens avec le système global. Cette thèse propose le Behavioral Coordination Operator Language (BCOoL), un langage dédié à la spécification de patrons de coordination entre des langages à partir de la définition d'opérateurs de coordination. Ces opérateurs sont employés afin d'automatiser la coordination de modèles exprimés dans ces langages. BCOoL est implémenté comme une suite de plugins qui s'appuient sur l'Eclipse Modeling Framework et présente ainsi un environnement complet pour l'exécution et la vérification de différents modèles coordonnés. / Modern devices embed several subsystems with different characteristics that communicate and interact in many ways. This makes its development complex since a designer has to deal with the heterogeneity of each subsystem but also with the interaction between them. To tackle the development of complex systems, Model Driven Engineering promotes the use of various, possibly heterogeneous, structural and behavioral models. In this context, the coordination of behavioral models to produce a single integrated model is necessary to provide support for validation and verification. It allows system designers to understand and validate the global and emerging behavior of the system. However, the manual coordination of models is tedious and error-prone, and current approaches to automate the coordination are bound to a fixed set of coordination patterns. Moreover, they encode the pattern into a tool thus limiting reasoning on the global system behavior. In this thesis, we propose a Behavioral Coordination Operator Language (B-COoL) to reify coordination patterns between specific domains by using coordination operators between the Domain-Specific Modeling Languages used in these domains. Those operators are then used to automate the coordination of models conforming to these languages. B-COoL is implemented as plugins for the Eclipse Modeling Framework thus providing a complete environment to execute and verify coordinated models. We illustrate the use of B-COoL with the definition of coordination operators between timed finite state machines and activity diagrams. We then use these operators to coordinate and execute the heterogeneous models of a surveillance camera system.