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We will start with a brief introduction describing the various aspects of web information systems (WISs) such as purpose, usage, content, functionality, context, presentation. Following this we plan to present three major blocks (of more or less the same size) dealing with an overview of the co-design approach to WIS design, propositional reasoning about WISs, and consistency of WISs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper a novel approach for the tool-based quality assurance of models is presented. The approach provides a meta model framework for domain specific and tool-independent quality assessment in heterogeneous model landscapes. In our framework we provide the concepts of queries, checks and views defined on meta model level and interpreted over the whole model landscape. Queries, checks and views are described in a predicative language based on the structures of the meta model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Automated support for the requirements engineering (RE) process is a recognised research area. However, the practice still relies on office tools rather than RE-tools. Reasons include financial causes and difficulty to evaluate the available RE-tools. This work reports on an experiment trying to validate a previously proposed framework for evaluating RE-tools. The experiment participants used several alternative tools for making requirements specifications, and then evaluated the tools by means of the framework. This enables us to look at the participants' performance with the various tools, evaluation approaches, and their perceptions about the same tools. The findings indicate advantages of using the evaluation framework, and of combining several evaluation techniques. The experiment indicates that RE-tools provide better support than office tools, leading to higher quality specifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Designers have accumulated much knowledge referring to OO systems design and construction, but this large body of knowledge is neither organized nor unified yet. In order to improve OO micro architectures, using the accumulated knowledge in a more systematic and effective way, we have defined a rules catalog (that unifies knowledge such as heuristics, principles, bad smells, etc.), the relationships between rules and patterns and an improvement method based on these subjects. We have carried out a controlled experiment which shows us that the usage of a rules catalog and its relationship with patterns really improves OO micro architectures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Completeness is one of the important measures for semantic quality of a conceptual model, an ER model in our case. In this paper, a complete methodology is presented to measure completeness quantitatively. This methodology identifies existence of functional dependencies in the given conceptual model and transforms it into a multi-graph using the transformation rules proposed in this paper. This conversion can be helpful in implementing and automating computation of quality metrics for a given conceptual model. The new Fuzzy Completeness Index (FCI) introduced in this paper adopts an improved approach over Completeness Index proposed by authors in the previous research. FCI takes into account the extent a functional dependency has its representation in the conceptual model even when it is not fully represented. This partial representation of a functional dependency is measured using the fuzzy membership values and fuzzy hedges. The value of FCI varies between 0 and 1, where 1 represents a model that incorporates all the functional dependencies associated with it. Computation of FCI is demonstrated for a number of conceptual models. It is illustrated that the quality in terms of completeness can effectively be measured and compared through the FCI based approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe a new approach to managing information quality (IQ) in an e-Science context, by allowing scientists to define the quality characteristics that are of importance in their particular domain. These preferences are specified and classified in relation to a formal IQ ontology, intended to support the discovery and reuse of scientists' quality descriptors and metrics. In this paper, we present a motivating scenario from the biological sub-domain of proteomics, and use it to illustrate how the generic quality model we have developed can be expanded incrementally without making unreasonable demands on the domain expert who maintains it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Semantic quality expresses the degree of correspondence between the information conveyed by a model and the domain that is modelled. As an early quality indicator of the system that implements the model, semantic quality must be evaluated before proceeding to implementation. Current evaluation approaches are based on ontological or meta-model analysis and/or use objective metrics. They ignore the model user's perception of semantic quality, which also determines whether the benefits of using a faithful model will be achieved. The paper presents the development of a perceived semantic quality measure. It presents a measure pre-test, i.e. a study aimed at refining and validating a new measure before its use in research and practice. The results of the pre-test show that our measure is reliable and that it is sufficiently differentiated from other perception-based measures of information model use like ease of use, usefulness, and user information satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current Web services composition proposals, such as BPEL, BPSS or WSCI, provide notations for describing the control and message flows in service collaborations. However, they remain at the descriptive level, without providing any kind of mechanisms or tool support for verifying the composition specified in them. In this paper, we present an approach based on CP-net formalism to analyze and verify Web services composition. We provide translation scheme from composition language into CP-nets and the techniques to analyze and verify effectively the CP-nets to investigate several behavioral properties. Our approach is essentially independent of the language describing composition. As an example, to show the effectiveness of our technique, in this paper, we present the transformation of WSCI to CP-nets, which can be analyzed, verified and simulated as prototypes of WSCI models by the CP-net tools. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As more and more companies are augmenting their data to include semantics, it is imperative that the choices made when choosing the modelling language are well founded in knowledge about the language and the domain in question. This work extends the Semiotic Quality Framework with computational and situated instruments. Furthermore, it demonstrates how the extended Semiotic Quality Framework can facilitate the choice of the most suited language for a real world application. The application is a directory services system, which currently is being moved into the realms of the Semantic Web. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Web services aim at providing an interoperable framework for cross system and multiple domain communication. Current basic standards are allowing for first cases of practical use and evaluation. Since, however, the modeling of the underlying application domains is largely an open issue, web service support for cross domain applications is rather limited. This limitation is particularly severe in the area of enterprise services which could benefit substantially from well-defined semantics of multiple domains. This paper focuses on the representation of user-specific domain models and on the support of their coherent interpretation on both client and server side. Our approach is founded on the paradigm of Conceptual Content Management (CCM) and provides support for coherent model interpretation by automatically generating CCM system implementations from high-level domain model specifications. Our approach to CCM has been successfully applied in several application projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the fact that bargaining plays an important role in business communications, it is almost completely neglected in e-business systems. In this paper we make an attempt to integrate bargaining into web-based e-business systems. We characterise the bargaining process and place it into the co-design approach for the design of web information systems. Then we outline how game-theoretic concepts can be used to develop a conceptual model for bargaining. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an approach to the reuse of business processes. We consider business process reuse as a problem of software economy. An infrastructure component that we call Process Assembler is supposed to aid in business process reuse. That component together with a number of other components could realize an environment for assessing, pricing and trading business processes. We work out the key functionality that needs to be provided by a software component that aids in reusing business processes. Furthermore we discuss a high level architecture for the Process Assembler and argue that this software component can aid users in performing the key reuse functionality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to analyze the behavior of moving objects, a measure for determining the similarity of trajectories needs to be defined. Although research has been conducted that retrieved similar trajectories of moving objects in Euclidean space, very little research has been conducted on moving objects in the space defined by road networks. In terms of real applications, most moving objects are located in road network space rather than in Euclidean space. In this paper, we investigate the properties of similar trajectories in road network space. And we propose a method to retrieve similar trajectories based on this observation and similarity measure between trajectories on road network space. Experimental results show that this method provides not only a practical method for searching for similar trajectories but also a clustering method for trajectories. Keywords: Trajectories, Road Network Space, Similarity between Trajectories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The creation of detailed 3D buildings models, and to a greater extent the creation of entire city models, has become an area of considerable research over the last couple of decades. The accurate modeling of buildings has LBS (Location Based Services) applications in entertainment, planning, tourism and e-commerce to name just a few. Many modeling systems created to date require manual correspondences to be made across the image set in order to determine the models 3D structure. This paper describes SAMATS, a Semi-Automated Modeling And Texturing System, which has the capability of producing geometrically accurate and photorealistic building models without the need for manual correspondences by using a set of geo-referenced terrestrial images. This paper gives an overview of SAMATS' components, while describing the Edge Highlighting component and the Intersection Rating step from the Edge Recovery component in detail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a vast increase in the amount of spatial data that has become accessible in recent years, mirroring the continuing explosion in information available online. People browsing the Web can download maps of almost any region when planning trips or seeking directions. However, GIS applications generating maps typically present default maps to clients without personalizing any spatial content. This gives rise to a problem whereby the most relevant map information can be obscured by extraneous spatial data, thus hindering users in achieving map interaction goals. Several applications exist that deliver personalized information, but they rely on clients providing explicit input. We describe a novel system that provides personalized map content using techniques prevalent in data mining to model spatial data interaction and to present users with automatically and implicitly personalized map content. Modeling spatial content preferences in this manner allows us to recommend spatial content to individuals whenever they request maps, without requiring the additional burden of explicit user modeling input. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Measuring semantic similarity among concepts is the core method for assessing the degree of semantic interoperability within and between ontologies. In this paper, we propose to extend current semantic similarity measures by accounting for the spatial relations between different geospatial concepts. Such integration of spatial relations, in particular topologic and metric relations, leads to an enhanced accuracy of semantic similarity measurements. For the formal treatment of similarity the theory of conceptual vector spaces—sets of quality dimensions with a geometric or topologic structure for one or more domains—is utilized. These spaces allow for the measurement of semantic distances between concepts. A case study from the geospatial domain using Ordnance Survey's MasterMap is used to demonstrate the usefulness and plausibility of the approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays new applications ask for enriching the semantics associated to geographic information in order to support a wide variety of tasks including data integration, interoperability, knowledge reuse, spatial reasoning and many others. This paper proposes a new framework called GeoShare, which supports for semantic integration and querying over heterogeneous geospatial data sets distributed over the grid environment. In GeoShare we try to resolve semantic heterogeneity by using an RDF-View based approach for schema mediation and focus on embedding domain semantics in geographic maps. A series of grid services such as ontology service, semantic registry service, and semantic query service with a set of innovative semantic tools are brought forward to accomplish these purposes. A visualization module also presents at the upper level of GeoShare to automatically generate Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) maps embedded with domain semantics as an ideal data view to end users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Continuous K nearest neighbor queries (C-KNN) on moving objects retrieve the K nearest neighbors of all points along a query trajectory. In existing methods, the cost of retrieving the exact C-KNN data set is expensive, particularly in highly dynamic spatio-temporal applications. The cost includes the location updates of the moving objects when the velocities change over time and the number of continuous KNN queries posed by the moving object to the server. In some applications (e.g., finding my nearest taxies while I am moving), obtaining the perfect result set is not necessary. For such applications, we introduce a novel technique, AC-KNN, that approximates the results of the classic C-KNN algorithm, but with efficient updates and while still retaining a competitive accuracy. We evaluate the AC-KNN technique through simulations and compare it with a traditional approach. Experimental results are presented showing the utility of our new approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current computer vision algorithms can process video sequences and perform key low-level functions, such as motion detection, motion tracking, and object classification. This motivates activity detection (e.g. recognizing people's behavior and intent), which is becoming increasingly important. However, they all have severe performance limitations when used over an extended range of applications. They suffer from high false detection rates and missing detection rates, or loss of track due to partial occlusions, etc. Also, activity detection is limited to 2D image domain and is confined to qualitative activities (such as a car entering a region of interest). Adding 3D information will increase the performance of all computer vision algorithms and the activity detection system. In this paper, we propose a unique approach which creates a 3D site model via sensor fusion of laser range finder and a single camera, which then can convert the symbolic features (pixel based) of each object to physical features (e.g. feet or yards). We present experimental results to demonstrate our 3D site model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Generalization of spatial databases consists of complicated operations including not only geometric transformations but also topological changes. The changes often result in an inconsistency between the original and derived databases. In order to control the quality of derived databases, we must assess the topological consistency. In this paper, we propose a set of rules to assess topological consistency for the collapse operation. The rules are based on a rigorous classification of topological properties in a collapse operation. By these rules, we can detect inconsistent topological changes in the generalization process and improve the quality of derived databases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modelling moving points is a subject of interest that has attracted a wide range of spatio-temporal database research. Efforts so far have been oriented towards the development of database structures and query languages. The preliminary research presented in this paper introduces a formal analysis of spatio-temporal trajectories, where the objective is to complement current proposals by a categorization of the underlying processes that characterize moving points. The model introduced identifies the semantic exhibited by point versus point, point versus line and point versus region trajectories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The idea of Conceptual Neighbourhood Diagram (CND) has proved its relevance in the areas of qualitative reasoning about time and qualitative reasoning about space. In this work, a CND is constructed for the Qualitative Trajectory Calculus (QTC), being a calculus for representing and reasoning about movements of objects. The CND for QTC is based on two central concepts having their importance in the qualitative approach: the theory of dominance and the conceptual distance between qualitative relations. Some examples are given for illustrating the use and the potentials of the CND for QTC from the point of view of GIScience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The formal specification of spatio-temporal information is essential to the definition of spatio-temporal database systems. The main contribution of this work is to provide a formal specification that uses object-oriented concepts associated not only with objects but also with events as primary classes of a model. The work is based on Event Calculus and C-logic to model objects and events and to provide a language for spatio-temporal queries. This work shows the possibility to combine the snapshot view with the event view of spatio-temporal information using a formal framework that serves for specifying information, checking consistency of specification, and being a reference for query languages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to detect the spatial conflicts in the process of spatial database updating, a refined description of spatial relationships is needed. This paper presents a topological chain model for refined line-line spatial relationships. The model integrates the topological relationships and order relationships with the metric relationships, such as intersecting angles, number of intersection points, distance between two intersection points, and area of the region formed by two intersectant curves. Based upon such detailed descriptions of the line-line relationships, the spatial conflicts can be detected automatically. The validity of the model and the efficiency of the method have been approved by automatic detection of the conflicts between rivers and contours for the national spatial database at the scale of 1:50,000. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As utility calculus cannot account for an important part of agents' behaviour in Multi-Agent Systems, researchers have progressively adopted a more normative approach. Unfortunately, social laws have turned out to be too restrictive in real-life domains where autonomous agents' activity cannot be completely specified in advance. The idea of Rights is a halfway concept between anarchic and off-line constrained interaction. Rights improve coordination and facilitate social action in Multi-Agent domains, they allow agents enough freedom, and at the same time constrain them (prohibiting specific actions). So far rights have not been tested or proven experimentally. We are comparing experimentally the three mentioned interaction architectures in the domain of agent-based traffic simulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current speech-act based ACLs specify domain-independent information about communication and relegate domain-dependent information to an unspecified content language. This is reasonable, but the ACLs cover only a small fraction of the domain-independent information possible. As a key element of modern ACLs, the set of communicative acts needs to be as complete as possible to enable agents to communicate the widest range of information with agreed-upon semantics. This paper describes a new approach to broaden the semantic coverage of ACL speech acts. It provides agents with the ability to express more of the possible meanings in human languages and yields a more powerful ACL. Specifically, we first compare Austin's and Searle's classifications, and Ballmer and Brennenstuhl's comprehensive classification of speech acts. The main meaning categories and their semantics are given next. Finally, a multifaceted evaluation of our approach is presented, which points out that the approach potentially can combine the benefits of the FIPA ACL with Ballmer and Brennenstuhl's speech act classification, resulting in a more expressive ACL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows how to extend and generalize Tomlin's Map Algebra to apply uniformly for spatial, temporal, and spatio-temporal data. A specific data layer can be seen as a function from location to a value (Goodchild's geographic reality). Map layer but also time series and other similar constructions are functors, mapping local operations to layers, time series, etc. Tomlin's Focal Operations are mostly convolutions and the zonal operations are summaries for zones. The mathematical framework explained justifies polymorphic overloading of operation names like + are made to work for layers, time series, etc. There is also a uniform method to apply user-defined local functions to them. The result is a consistent extension of Map Algebra with a simplified user interface. The implementation covers raster operations and demonstrates the generality of the concept. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an agent-oriented meta-model that provides rigorous concepts for conducting enterprise modelling. The aim is to allow analysts to produce an enterprise model that precisely captures the knowledge of an organization and of its business processes so that an agent-oriented requirements specification of the system-to-be and its operational corporate environment can be derived from it. To this end, the model identifies constructs that enable capturing the intrinsic characteristics of an agent system such as autonomy, intentionality, sociality, identity and boundary, or rational self-interest; an agent being an organizational actor and/or a software component. Such an approach of the concept of agent allows the analyst to have a holistic perspective integrating human and organizational aspects to gain better understanding of business system inner and outer modelling issues. The meta-model takes roots in both management theory and requirements engineering. It helps bridging the gap between enterprise and requirements models proposing an integrated framework, comprehensive and expressive to both managers and software (requirements) engineers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multi-agent Domain Engineering is a process for the construction of domain-specific agent-oriented reusable software artifacts, like domain models representing the requirements of a family of multi-agent systems, and frameworks, implementing an agent-oriented solution to those requirements. This work describes DDEMAS, an ontology-based technique for the architectural and detailed design of multi-agent frameworks providing a solution to the requirements of a family of multi-agent software systems specified in a domain model. DDEMAS is part of MADEM, a methodology for domain analysis and design of a family of multi-agent systems in a domain. Domain models and multi-agent frameworks are part of a knowledge base constructed through the instantiation of ONTOMADEM, an ontology that represents the knowledge of MADEM. Some examples from a case study on the application of DDEMAS on the construction of a multi-agent framework for the development of usage mining-based Web personalization systems are also described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to communicate is one of the crucial properties of agents. In this paper a normative approach to the pragmatics of Agent Communication Languages (ACLs) is proposed. In an open environment, like the Internet, in which agents are designed in many different ways, it is important to clearly establish the meaning of a standard language for artificial agents. Traditionally, the pragmatics of ACLs take the form of interaction protocols, which only specify the order in which messages occur without taking into account the content of the message, or the role of the agents. We present a unified ACL which includes the semantics and pragmatics of ACLs, focusing on a pragmatic level based on the social and normative notion of right. The framework is developed extending CTL with modal and deontic operators, and the pragmatics are expressed by means of a prolog-like declarative language. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The influence of ontologies in Knowledge Based Systems (KBS) methodologies extends well beyond the initial analysis phase, leading in the 1990s to domain-independent KBS methodologies. In this paper, we reflect on those lessons and on the roles of ontologies in KBS development. We analyse and identify which of those roles can be transferred towards an ontology-based MAS development methodology. We identify ontology-related inter-dependencies between the analysis and design phases. We produce a set of six recommendations towards creating a domain-independent MAS methodology that incorporates ontologies beyond its initial analysis phase. We identify its essential features and sketch the characteristic tasks within both its analysis and design phases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organic computing is an upcoming research area with strong relationships to the ideas and concepts of agent-based systems. In this paper, we therefore will have a closer look at agent systems, organic computing systems (as well as autonomic computing systems) and state commonalities and divergences between them. We then propose a common view on these technologies and show, how they can benefit from each other with regard to software engineering. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One way to make engineering design effective and efficient is to make its processes flexible - i.e. self-adjusting, self-configuring, and self-optimizing at run time. This paper presents the descriptive part of the Dynamic Engineering Design Process (DEDP) modeling framework developed in the PSIProductivity Simulation Initiative (PSI) is the R&D project of Cadence Design Systems GmbH. project. The project aims to build a software tool to assist managers to analyze and enhance the productivity of the DEDPs through process simulations. The framework incorporates the models of teams and actors, tasks and activities as well as design artifacts as the major interrelated parts. DEDPs are modeled as weakly defined flows of tasks and atomic activities which may only "become apparent" at run time because of several presented dynamic factors. The processes are self-formed through the mechanisms of collaboration in the dynamic team of actors. These mechanisms are based on several types of contracting negotiations. DEDP productivity is assessed by the Units of Welfare collected by the multi-agent system which models the design team. The models of the framework are formalized in the family of DEDP ontologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data integration is the process by which data from heterogeneous data sources are conceptually integrated into a single cohesive data set. In recent years agents have been increasingly used in information systems to promote performance. In this work we propose a modeling framework for agent oriented data integration to demonstrate how agents can support this process. We provide a systematic analysis of the process using real world scenarios, taken from email messages from citizens in a local government, and demonstrate two agent oriented data integration tasks, email routing and opinion analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The UML recommends that software system functionality and interactions be documented through use case narrative descriptions and use case diagrams. The UML, however, provides no structure or framework for organizing a large number of use cases that may be required for complex systems. In this paper, we present various taxonomies of existing use case classification schemes and one additional scheme for classifying and organizing use cases. We then discuss how we can effectively understand categorized use cases in terms of project priority and personnel skills to achieve the best possible allocation of project resources to use case-driven development efforts. The proposed method uses simple sequential questions to determine use case categories to aid analyzers in real-world projects. Our method is moderately simple to understand and implement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The UML notation is a well-know standard notation to describe OO systems. But the UML specification has certain imprecisions and ambiguities that, along with possible errors made by the modellers, may cause inconsistency problems in the models of the system. This paper presents a rigorous approach to improve the consistency analysis between UML diagrams. This proposal is based on a previous formalization of the UML metamodel diagrams, [1,4] in Maude. The framework given by the specifications created helps to guarantee the consistency of models because all the specifications are integrated within the same formalism. This work focuses on the analysis of the inter-diagram consistency. Several examples of properties are shown that help to guarantee the consistency between UML Communication and Class Diagrams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Use case relationships are used to manage the complexity of use cases. The UML defines the three types of use case relationships: include, extend, and generalization. The appropriate use of the use case relationships, however, is one of the most contentious areas. We found that the suggestions of various authors overlap but conflict, leaving room for dissension. In this paper, we present a comparative analysis of the use case relationships discussed in eleven literatures, including the UML 2.0 specification. For a coherent approach for applying use case relationships, we present three rules derived from the review of the literatures and our own experience and illustrates the rules with examples. Our rules are based on the analysis of preconditions, postconditions of use cases, and characteristics of the behaviors being separated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, the maturity reached by the Web engineering research community can be assessed by the myriad of web design methods that have proven successful for the specification of the functional and navigational requirements posed by Web information systems. However, these proposals often fail to address architectural features, which results in Web specifications with rigid architectures, with no regard for their actual circumstances of use. To overcome this limitation, we propose a generic approach called WebSA. WebSA is based on the MDA (Model-driven Architecture) paradigm. It proposes a Model Driven Development made up of a set of UML architectural models and QVT transformations as mechanisms to integrate the functional aspects of the current methodologies with the architectural aspects. In order to illustrate our approach, in this paper we combine WebSA with the OO-H method to tackle the design of the well known J2EE Petstore specification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current UML Profiles for Business Process Modelling realise a narrow focus of the process, and capture the process flow on a low level of detail. They do not provide a comprehensive coverage of theoretical aspects. In this work, we have designed a UML 2 Profile for Business Process Modelling that provides two complementary perspectives, focussing on the business process context (e.g. goals, measures, products, customers, etc.) as well as on the detailed business process flow. Therefore, the profile presents a business process in a very comprehensive way. It is tested with an example business process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In UML class diagrams, a many-to-many relationship with attributes can be represented by an association class or by a connecting object class. It is unclear which modeling construct is preferred in particular modeling scenarios. Because of lack of theory, this paper investigates the issue empirically. An experiment was conducted that tested the effect of representational form chosen on the performance of model users at cardinality interpretation tasks. It was shown that, controlling for cardinality knowledge, business users can better interpret the information that a UML class diagram conveys about a many-to-many relationship with attributes if this relationship is represented as an association class. The implication for ‘best practices' in UML modeling is that modelers should refrain from objectifying such relationships if the goal is an effective communication of domain semantics to users that are not modeling experts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To support the design of data models for multimedia applications, we employ the concept of a framework introduced in object-oriented design. We define a UML framework, which can be used for deriving application-specific multimedia database models. With the UML framework, we define the core elements of a multimedia database model, such as mediatype- and application-independent structure, content, relationships and operations. Thereby, the advantages of using UML for representing multimedia data as well as shortcomings of this approach are discussed. Furthermore, we describe the utilization of the UML framework for the instantiation of a model for an image database of scanned handwritten music scores. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As UML statechart diagrams are the core for modeling the dynamic aspects of software systems, we have been studying their understandability for the last three years. In previous researches, we have already studied the relationship between many of the constructs of the UML statechart diagrams and the effect that they have on the understandability of the diagrams themselves. We have also performed a family of experiments whose results indicated that the use of composite states make UML statechart diagrams easier to understand. This fact motivated us to go a step further and investigate if the Nesting Level of Composites States (NLCS) has an impact on the understanding of the diagrams through a controlled experiment and a replication. In this paper, we present the experimental process and the main findings of them. Unfortunately, the obtained results are not quite conclusive and we have not been able to find an optimal use of nesting within UML statechart diagrams and further empirical research is needed, considering more complex UML statechart diagrams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite widespread interest in the Unified Modeling Language (UML), there is little evidence about the extent and nature of UML use. This paper reports results of a survey of UML use by practitioners. Results indicate varying levels of use, and perceived usefulness, of different UML diagrams. In addition, we found significant involvement of non-IT professionals in the development of UML diagrams. An understanding of the range of current practices is an important foundation for determining "best practices." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Design - a signature of human intelligence - was always a great challenge for researches in various disciplines. For example, observations of how humans act in design produced several fundamental ideas in AI and DAI - automated problem solving and reasoning [3]. In return, the researchers as the broad community attacked the problems of design domain by attempting to engineer systems and infrastructures that are capable of supporting humans in accomplishing tasks that require intelligence. Quite a big piece of this stake is of course the challenge of designing the concepts and the models of different aspects in design. Moreover, from data and knowledge engineering perspective the problems of Conceptual Modeling are design problems per se: the problem of designing intelligent artifacts [3], or exploring the design space of intelligence [1][4]. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the variability of information and software systems has increased, the need for an engineering discipline concerned with building reusable assets (such as specification sets, patterns and components) on one hand and representing and managing knowledge in specific domains on the other hand has become crucial. This discipline, called domain engineering, supports the notion of a domain, defined as a set of applications that use a set of common concepts for describing requirements, problems and capabilities. The purpose of domain engineering is to identify, model, construct, catalog, and disseminate a set of software artifacts that can be applied to existing and future software in a particular application domain. As such, it can support the effective and efficient management and development of software assets. Hence, it is important to introduce this discipline among software engineering practitioners and researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Enterprise applications are large and complex. Therefore, requirements elicitation and system analysis is especially important for the success of enterprise application development projects. Independent from the project organization, i.e., the used software process model, well-defined and easy-to-understand documents and work products are a cornerstone of successful communication of system documentation in each project team, both for the communication between the system analyst and the developer and the communication between the system analyst and the domain expert. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many application settings involve the need to exchange information between heterogeneous frameworks. In the database world, we often use different systems to handle data, following different models, and we therefore need to translate data and their description from one to another. The problem has been considered for decades in our field, but definitive solutions are not yet available. The problem is relevant at the schema level (for example, every designer works with a conceptual model, such as ER or UML, and then translates the conceptual schema into a logical model, usually relational), and at the data level, when we have databases, and we want to translate them into some other system, which may be similar (for example, with a slightly different version of the relational model) or completely different (for example, XML documents). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The tutorial will provide an overview of FOOM methodology, which integrates the functional and object-oriented approaches. It will start with a rationale and need for the integrated approach, in light of the traditional methodologies on one hand, and the object-oriented and UML-based methodologies on the other hand. The main part of the tutorial will be devoted to a description of the analysis and design stages and sub-stages of FOOM, and their products. The description will be accompanied by a running example. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Technology has changed the way we live, think and work. Technology has revolutionized business and now it must revolutionize teaching and learning. Live classroom based training is becoming too costly and cumbersome. 80 % of teachers and students already use computers. So e-learning can be seen as a means supporting life long learning with a lot of benefits. The worldwide web, high-capacity networks and high speed computers make learning available to people 24 hours a day in their office, at home or also in hotel rooms during a business trip around the globe. E-learning enables the access to learning when it is convenient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 6th International Workshop on Conceptual Modeling Approaches for e-Business, eCOMO'05, was held in conjunction with the ER-Conference 2005. Traditionally, modeling of business processes is achieved using different views of a single company, viz. the data or content view, functional view, process view, and the organizational view. These views should not be treated in an isolated manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]