Jean-Yves Lafaye

Temporal knowledge acquisition and modeling

The objectives of this paper are to present, describe, and explain the foundations and the functionalities of a temporal knowledge acquisition and modeling solution workflow, which aims at acquiring temporal knowledge from texts in order to populate a constrained object model. We are using several models for temporal data, one of which is generic and employed as a pivot model between a linguistic representation and a calendar representation. The approach we propose is generic and has been tested against a real use case, in which input data is made of temporal properties defining when a given location (a theater, a restaurant, a shopping center, etc.) is open or closed. Most expressions entered are expressed in intension. Our models provide a core support to the system that linguistically analyses data entries, transforms them into extensive calendar information and allow users to control the quality of the systems interpretation.

Location-and temporal-based services for nature-society interaction regulation

With the surge of mobile devices and applications, knowledge base browsing and querying facilities must be adapted to new kinds of users and services. Space and time databases are concerned and as such are the subject of this article. Within a mobile context, data retrieval services must take the location of the call into consideration as regards space and time, insofar many pieces of information do depend on ‘where’ and ‘when’ constraints. We present here with a general object model dedicated to specifying time properties. The novel aspects of our proposal consist of three main points. First, the temporal object model stands as a pivot model, and all the more leverages interoperability between software applications, since it extends common standards, such as ISO 19108 and iCalendar. Second, we accompany the object model with a formal grammar close to natural languages, which helps end users in managing and checking temporal object instances. Finally, our proposal focuses on intensional temporal expressions instead of extensional sets of concrete calendar dates. This allows to express semantic aspects – namely for periodic (cyclic) events – which remain hidden and not computable when only a series of dates are given. We evoke two kinds of applications for which our model is beneficial; one concerns services called by human users and the other addresses calls placed by software agents e.g. in a multi-agent system for instance within a simulation context.

Capturing Domain-Imposed Requirements Based on Basic Research Findings

The current means of obtaining domain-imposed requirements through users or domain experts are often suboptimal especially for the relatively new area of interest. This paper suggests the use of basic research findings as the more objective source and proposes an approach that translates research findings into a UML model based on which the domain-imposed requirements can be extracted. By using business project management as the domain of interest, it outlines the steps in the said approach and describes the use of the resulting domain model during the requirement specification for a Project Management Information System that caters specially to the needs of business projects. Theoretically, the same method can be applied to the other areas of management and an enterprise domain model could be developed in a similar way. Given equity access to all software developers, it is envisaged that meeting standard domain-imposed requirements would become a pre-requisite for competing enterprise systems in the future.

Une approche fondée sur l’IDM pour le développement d’un environnement de production journalistique

This paper presents an application of Model Driven Engineering to the design of a complete news processing line within the scope of culture and leisure information. MDE is the only technology actually enabling to master the management of complex composite events with spatial and temporal properties, and to cope with making heterogeneous applications interoperate. We provide an overview of our approach and outline the salient points of our metamodels. The stress is put on the event metamodel, standing as a pivot between the beforehand Natural Language Processing, and temporal information visualization frameworks on the end user side. MOTS-CLES : validation semantique, IDM, information temporelle, evenement.

A metric for evaluating software architecture and communication models consistency

Among several alternative viewpoints for building software quality metrics, evaluating the consistency between different models in a software specification or implementation appears to be fruitful. An obvious difficulty is that different models are usually expressed by means of different concepts, and then, confronting heterogeneous representations is not straightforward. In this paper, we propose a solution for measuring the consistency between the architecture and the communication models. After some sensible transformations, the information about both models are captured trough hierarchical representations. We define and discuss a similarity measure between hierarchies, that eventually founds the software metric we propose. Lastly, we investigate how to scale and interpret the metric values and give an application example with SDL.

Qualité de conception des bases de données relationnelles avec UML

Quality issues in database design refer to normalisation theory and to E/R model translation. The OMG CWM meta model applies to UML specification of persistent data, allowing the designer to describe the schema of a relational data base. We compare how three CASE tools: Objecteering, Rose and Mega implement the CWM meta model. None is fully compliant with the normalisation theory. We give the test plan we designed for the comparison and present the results. Consequently, we define a normalisation-light process, that relaxes constraints from the genuine normalisation theory and contributes to enhance the quality of computer aided database design. We discuss how to specify a complete system for identifying objects by value and derive the data base schema from a UML class diagram. We use the B-method to give a formal specification of our proposal, prove the correctness of the specification and contribute to demonstrate the feasibility of the keys computation.

A Study of Collaborative Work: Answers to a Test on Formal Specification in B

Objective It is commonly admitted that strength comes through unity. The point we address here, is to discuss to what extent this applies to a pair of students facing a test in formal specification (B notation). More precisely, we aim at deciding whether collaborative work is of benefit for one, other, or both of the collaborating students.We use data analysis to examine a sample of students and derive some qualitative and quantitative information. What follows is a seminal work: i.e., the sample is small. Here follow the main points of our contribution: