Design and implementation of a framework for building distributed smart object systems

A smart object system encompasses the synergy between computationally augmented everyday objects and external applications. This paper presents a software framework for building smart object systems following a declarative programming approach centered around custom written documents that glue the smart objects together. More specifically, in the proposed framework, applications’ requirements and smart objects’ services are objectified through structured documents. A runtime infrastructure provides the spontaneous federation between smart objects and applications through structural type matching of these documents. There are three primary advantages of our approach: firstly, it allows developers to write applications in a generic way without prior knowledge of the smart objects that could be used by the applications. Secondly, smart object management (locating, accessing, etc.) issues are completely handled by the infrastructure; thus application development becomes rapid and simple. Finally, the programming abstraction used in the framework allows extension of functionalities of smart objects and applications very easily. We describe an implemented prototype of our framework and show examples of its use in a real life scenario to illustrate its feasibility.     

Normalized Interactions between autonomous agents

The CEC Project GOAL (Esprit 6283) aims to develop generic software tools to support a new project management paradigm, in which projects are collaborative, decentralised and inter-organizational. To support inter-organizational interaction, communication and cooperation, we are developing a design framework for formalizing the flow of information between organizations, specifying access to and provision of project services, and defining project-wide standards and procedures. This framework is based on normalizing interactions between autonomous software agents by specifying messages and protocols for inter-agent communication and cooperation. This paper reviews the framework, and then focusses on the specification and implementation of a case study, the automation of a distributed document review procedure. This is both a successful proof of concept and a demonstration of how Artificial Intelligence technologies can support inter-organizational project management. It also points the way to agent brokering, an enhancement of object brokering in distributed open systems, where the satisfaction of service requests can be subject to negotiation.Supported by CEC Esprit Project GOAL (Esprit 6283) and CEC Esprit BRA Medlar II (Esprit 6471).Supported by CEC Esprit Project GOAL (Esprit 6283).     

W4H:一个面向软件部署的技术分析框架

部署是软件生命周期中的一个重要环节,是软件生产的后期活动,通过配置、安装和激活等活动来保障软件制品的后续运行.为了系统地了解软件部署的现状和最新进展,建立了一个多侧面、细粒度的分析框架——W4H,以对该领域的主要研究工作和系统工具进行概括分析.该框架从软件部署的概念和面对的问题空间出发,由5个侧面、12个维度构成,覆盖了软件部署方法中主体、客体、适用范围、方式策略和过程支持能力等多个方面.基于W4H分析框架,对当前具有代表性的软件部署方法与技术进行分析和总结.案例研究结果表明,该分析框架能够对软件部署方法与技术进行较为全面的分析,对软件系统部署方法和技术的选择及开发具有重要的指导意义.     

ECA rule-based support for workflows

The use of event–condition–action (ECA) rules has transformed database systems from passive query-based data repositories to active sources of information delivery. In a similar fashion, ECA rules can be used to benefit workflow systems. In this paper, a software framework known as STEP workflow management facility is proposed in order to manage collaborative and distributed workflows and to provide interfaces to object management group-compliant product data management systems. Issues related to implementation using open standards such as CORBA are discussed. A key point underlying the framework is the flexibility it affords to users to re-configure the system according to evolving needs in collaborative product development.     

Increasing the availability of FMS with multimedia-supported diagnostic expert systems

This paper summarizes some of the results in the field of diagnostic expert systems of the EUREKA MAINE EU 744 project FMSMAINT System. Methods and software have been developed to increase the lower-than-expected availability of expensive flexible manufacturing systems (FMS). In the work described in this paper a special emphasis has been put on efficiently integrating automatic data acquisition, data analysis supported by multimedia, and expert-system-based diagnostics. The software described has been installed in the industrial pilots participating in the project, and the modules have already also been taken to a commercial level.     

分布式软件系统交互行为建模、验证与测试

为了确保分析与设计阶段分布式软件系统中模块之间交互行为的正确性,提出了一种分布式软件系统模块交互的抽象方法,分别通过系统状态机图和对象状态机图对各模块状态变迁进行建模,使用UML2.0序列图对模块之间交互行为进行描述.采用基于命题投影时序逻辑的模型检测技术,将对象状态机图转换为Promela模型,系统交互性质转换为命题投影时序逻辑公式,通过模型检测器验证交互模型是否满足于系统的性质,若不满足于该性质,则能够获得反例执行的路径.给出了一个分布式软件系统测试框架,在验证后的序列图模型基础上,使用基于模型的测试用例自动生成方法得到测试用例集合,该集合能够实现对交互行为的有效测试.实例结果表明,该方法可以提高分布式软件系统中模块交互行为的有效性和可靠性.     

Developing multi‐agent systems with a FIPA‐compliant agent framework

To ease large‐scale realization of agent applications there is an urgent need for frameworks, methodologies and toolkits that support the effective development of agent systems. Moreover, since one of the main tasks for which agent systems were invented is the integration between heterogeneous software, independently developed agents should be able to interact successfully. In this paper, we present JADE (Java Agent Development Environment), a software framework to build agent systems for the management of networked information resources in compliance with the FIPA specifications for inter‐operable intelligent multi‐agent systems. The goal of JADE is to simplify development while ensuring standard compliance through a comprehensive set of system services and agents. JADE can then be considered to be an agent middle‐ware that implements an efficient agent platform and supports the development of multi‐agent systems. It deals with all the aspects that are not peculiar to agent internals and that are independent of the applications, such as message transport, encoding and parsing, or agent life‐cycle management. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

User-story driven development of multi-agent systems: A process fragment for agile methods

Agile software development methods are mostly built as a set of managerial guidelines and development concepts on how to handle a software development but are not bounded to software development paradigms like object or agent orientation. Some methods, like eXtreme Programming and SCRUM are driven by operational requirements representation models called User Stories. These User Stories can be used as an anchoring point to agile methods; this means that we could take a User Stories set to drive a software transformation approach embedded in a particular development paradigm. This paper presents a process fragment for Multi-Agent Systems development with agile methods based on User Stories sets. The process fragment indeed takes advantage of an initial set of User Stories to build a reasoning model (called the Rationale Tree; typically several of these are built for a single project) that documents decompositions and means-end alternatives in scenarios for requirements realization. A Rationale Tree can then be aligned with a Multi-Agent design and implemented in an agent-oriented development language. In this paper the transformation is targeted to the JAVA Agent DEvelopment (JADE) framework. The process fragment (at least partially) covers the Requirements Analysis, Multi-Agent System Design and Multi-Agent System Implementation phases. Transformation from one phase to the other is overseen and illustrated on an example.     

An object-oriented framework for modeling and designing intelligent training systems

The use of a software engineering approach in the design and development of Intelligent Training/teaching Systems (ITS) can increase productivity and improve the quality of the resulting software systems. In this paper, we describe an object-oriented framework for modeling and designing an ITS. This framework is based on software engineering principles. To illustrate our discussion, we consider an ITS—the CAD Demonstrator—which we have designed using this framework. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A systematic review of code generation proposals from state machine specifications

ContextModel Driven Development (MDD) encourages the use of models for developing complex software systems. Following a MDD approach, modelling languages are used to diagrammatically model the structure and behaviour of object-oriented software, among which state-based languages (including UML state machines, finite state machines and Harel statecharts) constitute the most widely used to specify the dynamic behaviour of a system. However, generating code from state machine models as part of the final system constitutes one of the most challenging tasks due to its dynamic nature and because many state machine concepts are not supported by the object-oriented programming languages. Therefore, it is not surprising that such code generation has received great attention over the years.ObjectiveThe overall objective of this paper is to plot the landscape of published proposals in the field of object oriented code generation from state machine specifications, restricting the search neither to a specific context nor to a particular programming language.MethodWe perform a systematic, accurate literature review of published studies focusing on the object oriented implementation of state machine specifications.ResultsThe systematic review is based on a comprehensive set of 53 resources in all, which we have classified into two groups: pattern-based and not pattern-based. For each proposal, we have analysed both the state machine specification elements they support and the means the authors propose for their implementation. Additionally, the review investigates which proposals take into account desirable features to be considered in software development such as maintenance or reusability.ConclusionsOne of the conclusions drawn from the review is that most of the analysed works are based on a software design pattern. Another key finding is that many papers neither support several of the main components of the expressive richness of state machine specifications nor provide an implementation strategy that considers relevant qualitative aspects in software development.     

Towards a theory of multimedia metacomputing

Multimedia metacomputing is a new approach to the management and processing of multimedia data in web-based information systems. It offers high flexibility and openness while shielding the applications from any system internals. Starting with the vision of a completely open and globally distributed multimedia information system, we consider abstraction concepts required, especially transformation independence, and an appropriate semantic model.Thus, the major focus of this paper is on the abstract data and processing model called VirtualMedia,¹ which provides a transformation independence framework for multimedia processing. In particular, we describe how transformation requests are represented and processed, exploiting semantic equivalence relations on filter graphs and redundant materialization, finally yielding instantiatable plans for materializing the requested media object(s) at the client.     

Context-Aware Fuzzy Databases

The development of mechanisms to ease human machine interaction is an issue about which there is increasing interest within both the software world in general, and database systems in particular. A way to tackle this problem is to try to approach the natural way of user expression. The Fuzzy Sets Theory and its application to build Fuzzy Databases constitute a consolidated advance in the literature. Another way is to adapt the interaction of the system to the context where it is running. In this sense, this paper presents an approach to build a model of Fuzzy Databases that dynamically adapts to user context. In order to do this, we have studied the management of the context in Fuzzy Database applications and we propose an architecture for the development of intelligent, flexible and customized context-aware database systems. We also present a proof of concept implementation to be used with SQL:99 standard in Oracle ORDBMS. Finally, through a real application in the medical area, we demonstrate the feasibility of the proposal.     

Incorporating prior knowledge into learning by dividing training data

In most large-scale real-world pattern classification problems, there is always some explicit information besides given training data, namely prior knowledge, with which the training data are organized. In this paper, we proposed a framework for incorporating this kind of prior knowledge into the training of min-max modular (M³) classifier to improve learning performance. In order to evaluate the proposed method, we perform experiments on a large-scale Japanese patent classification problem and consider two kinds of prior knowledge included in patent documents: patent’s publishing date and the hierarchical structure of patent classification system. In the experiments, traditional support vector machine (SVM) and M³-SVM without prior knowledge are adopted as baseline classifiers. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method is superior to the baseline classifiers in terms of training cost and generalization accuracy. Moreover, M³-SVM with prior knowledge is found to be much more robust than traditional support vector machine to noisy dated patent samples, which is crucial for incremental learning.     

Software Framework for Managing Heterogeneity in Mobile Collaborative Systems

Heterogeneity in mobile computing devices and application scenarios complicates the development of collaborative software systems. Heterogeneity includes disparate computing and communication capabilities, differences in users needs and interests, and semantic conflicts across different domains and representations. In this paper, we describe a software framework that supports mobile collaboration by managing several aspects of heterogeneity. Adopting graph as a common data structure for the application state representation enables us to develop a generic solution for handling the heterogeneities. The effect external forces, such as resource constraints and diverging user interests, can be quantified and controlled as relational and attribute heterogeneity of state graphs. When mapping the distributed replicas of the application state, the external forces inflict a loss of graph information, resulting in many-to-one correspondences of graph elements. A key requirement for meaningful collaboration is maintaining a consistent shared state across the collaborating sites. Our framework makes the best of maximizing the state consistency, while accommodating the external force constraints, primarily the efficient use of scarce system resources. Furthermore, we describe the mobility aspects of our framework, mainly its extension to peer-to-peer scenarios and situations of intermittent connectivity. We describe an implementation of our framework applied to the interoperation of shared graphics editors across multiple platforms, where users are able to share 2D and 3D virtual environments represented as XML documents. We also present performance results, namely resource efficiency and latency, which demonstrate its feasibility for mobile scenarios.     

Information Systems Development as an Activity

Information systems development (ISD) is analysed in this paper as asystemic work activity, using Activity Analysis and Development (ActAD)as the theoretical framework. ISD is regarded here as the process bywhich some collective work activity is facilitated by newinformation-technological means through analysis, design, implementation,introduction and sustained support, as well as process management. Itis a temporary, boundary-crossing activity which draws its actors,means, rules, etc. from two sides – typically a software companyand the IS user organization. ISD is analysed as a part of a networkof activities, too, around software development and a computer-supporteduse activity. A theoretical framework and a pragmatic checklist arepresented for studying ISD activities. It is argued that the activity-theoretical framework provides a theoretically foundedbut detailed and practicable procedure for studying ISD as a workactivity in context.     

Four integration patterns: a socio-technical approach to integration in IS development projects

This paper aims to contribute to a theory of integration within the field of information systems (IS) project management. Integration is a key IS project management issue when new systems are developed and implemented into an increasingly integrated information infrastructure in corporate and governmental organizations. Expanding the perspective of traditional project management research, we draw extensively on central insights from IS research. Building on socio-technical IS research and software engineering research, we suggest four generic patterns of integration: big bang, stakeholder integration, technical integration and socio-technical integration. We analyse and describe the advantages and disadvantages of each pattern. The four patterns are ideal types. To explore the forces and challenges in these patterns, three longitudinal case studies were conducted. In particular we investigate the management challenges for each pattern. We find that the patterns are context-sensitive and describe the different contexts where the patterns are applicable. For IS project management, the four integration patterns are a contribution to the management of integration risks – extending the vocabulary for assessing and mitigating these risks in IS development. For practitioners the four integration patterns represent an analytical framework to be used in planning modern IS development projects.     

Agents in object‐oriented software engineering

Software engineers of multi‐agent systems (MASs) are faced with different concerns such as autonomy, adaptation, interaction, collaboration, learning, and mobility, which are essentially different from classical concerns addressed in object‐oriented software engineering. MAS developers, however, have relied mostly on object‐oriented design techniques and programming languages, such as Java. This often leads to a poor separation of MAS concerns and in turn to the production of MASs that are difficult to maintain and reuse. This paper discusses software engineering approaches for MASs, and presents a new method for integrating agents into object‐oriented software engineering from an early stage of design. The proposed approach encourages the separate handling of MAS concerns, and provides a disciplined scheme for their composition. Our proposal explores the benefits of aspect‐oriented software development for the incorporation of agents into object‐oriented systems. We also illustrate our aspect‐oriented approach through the Portalware multi‐agent system, a Web‐based environment for the development of e‐commerce portals. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A study on product modelling for integration of CAD/CAM

Modelling capability for products to be designed and manufactured plays an important role in order to effectively construct and utilize CAD/CAM systems. Product models should represent all the information about products, which is utilized in manufacturing processes. Therefore it is required that they describe functional structures of machine products, and include not only geometric information but also various non-geometric data, such as physical, technological and management data. Presently there do not seem to exist definite methods or theories for constructing product models. In this paper, we first investigate the whole manufacturing process, and propose a system structure for integration of CAD/CAM, in which product modelling plays a fundamental role. Then requirements for product modelling are studied thoroughly, and a new representation framework for product models is proposed. It consists of an object concept called frame, relations among frames and attributes, and it can incorporate the existing various modelling capabilities, such as solid modelling. We use this representation framework in combination with our solid modelling package GEOMAP-III, and show the effectiveness of this approach by performing illustrative design experiments.