Palle Nowack

Tangible objects: connecting informational and physical space

Information technology has changed the role space and time plays in our lives. The Internet connects people that are geographically far apart, Timbuktu is only a mouse click away, virtual reality replaces the real space with a life-like simulacrum, and augmented reality smears an informational coating over real space.

Architecture=abstractions over software

Design of software architecture is seen as abstraction over the software domain, and describing architecture is considered to be a modeling process. A general view of a modeling process is presented and illustrated in the context of application domain modeling and of software domain modeling. The implications of this perspective are investigated in order to capture objectives and concrete forms of architectural descriptions. The consequences of this perspective on architecture are characterized.

Software evolution: prototypical deltas

We present a model of the software evolution process. We introduce the notion of a delta, which represents a change in the softwares environment, as a key concept for characterizing the software evolution process. A number of prototypical deltas are presented and characterized in terms of the domains, models, and actors involved.

Characterising patterns in framework development

Patterns are investigated in relation to the development of applications and frameworks, and characteristics of patterns are presented in the context of analysis, design and implementation. The results are illustrated using a framework for virtual machines. The main conclusion is that different pattern characteristics can be identified in analysis, design, and implementation of applications and frameworks. Patterns can be applied to describe perceived structures in the problem domain, logical structures in the abstract description of a software system, and structures in the program code. Patterns applied in application development focus on structures among concrete and specific concepts, whereas patterns applied in framework development focus on structures among abstract and generic concepts. Individual patterns can be preserved, transformed, or replaced during a software development process.

Deriving Roles and Groups from Activities and Habitats

We consider the experimental development of collaborating robots able to work within fields of crops. The design of the system combines traditional approaches such as multi-agent systems with novel approaches such as the identification and design of informational and physical activities and habitats. We propose to design efficient organizations of robot-agents based on group-based roles. The groups and roles are defined based on the activities and habitats, in which the robot-agents participate

Collaboration and Modeling in Ambient Systems: Vision, Concepts and Experiments

We focus on organizations developing products: A product is developed through the development of a model of the product and the model is developed through collaboration among developers. We relate the model in physical and informational spaces. Actual interaction with informational model space has effect on the physical space and vice versa. The collaboration process is supported by a collaboration environment where we relate informational and physical spaces. Actual collaboration in physical space is reflected in the informational space and vice versa. Finally, also model and collaboration environment are related.

Modelling Moving Machines

In the old days computers didn’t move; today they do. This means two things. On the one hand, you want access to the information services you need in whatever place you are. You want to plug your computer into whatever socket is close at hand, receive emails, access files and watch video. And you want the service at any time of the day: banking should be possible at one o’clock in the night if that suits you. On the other hand, you want your car’s computer to take its point of departure from the exact location you are in when it gives you driving directions. It should not tell you how to get to the ferry in Dover if you are leaving Cologne. In addition, we want it to be sensitive to the time. Our calendar should alert us to a deadline two days before, not one month after is has passed.