Koon Leai Larry Tan

Graphical composition of grid services

Grid services and web services have similarities but also significant differences. Although conceived for web services, it is seen how BPEL (Business Process Execution Logic) can be used to orchestrate a collection of grid services. It is explained how CRESS (Chisel Representation Employing Systematic Specification) has been extended to describe grid service composition. The CRESS descriptions are automatically converted into BPEL/WSDL code for practical realisation of the composed services. This achieves orchestration of grid services deployed using the widely used Globus Toolkit and ActiveBPEL interpreter. The same CRESS descriptions are automatically translated into LOTOS, allowing systematic checks for interoperability and logical errors prior to implementation.

Enabling Quantitative Data Analysis Through e-Infrastructure

This article discusses how quantitative data analysis in the social sciences can engage with and exploit an e-Infrastructure. We highlight how a number of activities that are central to quantitative data analysis, referred to as ‘‘data management,’’ can benefit from e-Infrastructural support. We conclude by discussing how these issues are relevant to the Data Management through e-Social Science (DAMES) research Node, an ongoing project that aims to develop e-Infrastructural resources for quantitative data analysis in the social sciences.

A rigorous approach to orchestrating grid services

Although conceived for web services, it is shown how BPEL (Business Process Execution Language) can be used to orchestrate a collection of grid services. This is achieved using the technique of CRESS (Communication Representation Employing Systematic Specification) to describe the composition of grid services. Cress descriptions are automatically translated into LOTOS (Language Of Temporal Ordering Specification), allowing systematic checks for interoperability and logical errors prior to implementation. MUSTARD (Multiple-Use Scenario Test and Refusal Description) is used to validate the generated specification against use case scenarios. The same CRESS descriptions are then automatically converted into BPEL/WSDL code for practical realisation of the composed services. Grid services are executed by Globus Toolkit 4, while their orchestration is supported by the ACTIVEBEPEL engine. The MUSTARD scenarios are used again to evaluate the implementation. The overall approach therefore supports rigorous development and automated creation of orchestrated grid services.

A Rigorous Methodology for Composing Services

Creating new services through composition of existing ones is an attractive option. However, composition can be complex and service compatibility needs to be checked. A rigorous and industrially-usable methodology is therefore desirable for creating, verifying, implementing and validating composed services. An explanation is given of the approach taken by Cress (Communication Representation Employing Systematic Specification). Formal verification and validation are performed through automated translation to Lotos (Language Of Temporal Ordering Specification). Implementation and validation are performed through automated translation to Bpel (Business Process Execution Logic) and WSDL (Web Services Description Language). The approach is illustrated with an application to grid service composition in e-Social Science.

Rigorous development of composite grid services

Cress (Communication Representation Employing Systematic Specification) is introduced as notation, a methodology and a toolset for service development. The article focuses on rigorous development of composite grid services, with particular emphasis on the principles behind the methodology. A straightforward graphical notation is used to describe grid services. These are then automatically specified, analysed and implemented. Analysis includes formal verification of desirable service properties, formal validation of test scenarios, testing of implementation functionality, and evaluation of implementation performance. The case study that illustrates the approach is document content analysis to compare two pieces of text. This involves two composite services supported by two partner services. The usability of the service design notation is assessed, and a comparison is made of the approach with similar ones. These show that the Cress approach to developing services is usable and more complete than other comparable approaches.

Managing Data in E-Social Science

Grid computing is moving from its original focus on the physical sciences to other disciplines such as the social sciences. The orientation of these newer applications is on data management rather than processing. This paper describes how the DAMES project (Data Management through E-Social Science) is developing grid-based solutions for handling data in a distributed environment. The paper describes the approach being taken to meet key challenges: metadata for effective use of datasets, and data-oriented workflows for e-social science.

Rapid Integration of Software Engineering Techniques

Graphical Composition of Grid Services.- A UML 2.0 Profile for Architecting B3G Applications.- RTDWD: Real-Time Distributed Wideband-Delphi for User Stories Estimation.- Trust Strategies and Policies in Complex Socio-technical Safety-Critical Domains: An Analysis of the Air Traffic Management Domain.- Development of Extensible and Flexible Collaborative Applications Using a Web Service-Based Architecture.- Build, Configuration, Integration and Testing Tools for Large Software Projects: ETICS.- Architectural Verification of Black-Box Component-Based Systems.- Systematic Generation of XML Instances to Test Complex Software Applications.- Transformations of UML 2 Models Using Concrete Syntax Patterns.- Towards a Formal, Model-Based Framework for Control Systems Interaction Prototyping.- SketchiXML: A Design Tool for Informal User Interface Rapid Prototyping.