Robert Amor

Support for collaborative, integrated software development

A new model for supporting collaborative software development with shared, multiple textual and graphical views is presented. Multiple views of software development can be synchronously, semi-synchronously and asynchronously edited by different developers. View versions can be incrementally merged, and view updates broadcast to other developers and incrementally incorporated as required in their alternative versions. The model is illustrated by its use in a software development environment for an object-oriented language.<<ETX>>

Directions in modelling environments

Schema definition is a vital component in the development of computerised A/E/C projects, but existing tools to manage this task are limited both in terms of the scope of problems they can tackle and their integration with each other. This paper describes a global modelling and development environment for large modelling projects. This environment provides a total solution from initial design of schemas to validation, manipulation and navigation through final models. A major benefit of the described system is the ability to provide multiple views of evolving schemas (or models) in both graphical and textual forms. This allows modellers to visualise their schemas and instance models either textually or graphically as desired. The system automatically maintains the consistency of the information in these views even when modifications are made in other views. Simple and intuitive view navigation methods allow required information to be rapidly accessed. The environment supports strict checking of model instances and schemas in one of the major ISO-standardised modelling languages now used in product data technology. In this paper we show how such a modelling environment has been constructed for evaluation in the JOULE funded COMBINE project.

Automated data mapping specification via schema heuristics and user interaction

Data transformation problems are very common and are challenging to implement for large and complex datasets. We describe a new approach for specifying data mapping transformations between XML schemas using a combination of automated schema analysis agents and selective user interaction. A graphical tool visualizes parts of the two schemas to be mapped and a variety of agents analyze all or parts of the schema, voting on the likelihood of matching subsets. The user can confirm or reject suggestions, or even allow schema matches to be automatically determined, incrementally building up to a fully-mapped schema. An implementation of the mapping specification can then be generated.

Domain-specific visual languages for specifying and generating data mapping systems

Abstract Many application domains, including enterprise systems integration, health informatics and construction IT, require complex data to be transformed from one format to another. We have developed several tools to support specification and generation of such data mappings using domain-specific visual languages. We describe motivation for this work, challenges in developing visual mapping metaphors for different target users and problem domains, and illustrate using examples from several of our developed systems. We compare cognitive dimension-based evaluations of the different approaches and summarise the lessons we have learned.

Support for constructing environments with multiple views

We describe several approaches to supporting the construction of design environments with multiple views of common information. We then outline a new approach that draws on the best of each of them.

Peer teaching extends HCI learning

Crafting a good user experience requires skills in several disciplines. Few people have this breadth of knowledge, and undergraduate computer science students are no exception. Encouraging computer science students to appreciate the ways that other disciplines contribute to Human Computer Interaction is important, yet difficult. Our students learn about this disciplinary interdependence through peer teaching as part of a group project. Each group contains students with complementary skills and we expect a transfer of knowledge. Here we discuss the educational theory behind the project, the projects essential elements and an evaluation of how it aids learning. The model we have developed could be easily adapted for other courses which draw on diverse skills.

Computer-human interaction issues when integrating qualitative spatial reasoning into geographic information systems

To allow the immense volume of spatial data currently available to be used effectively, people need intelligent query tools that are simple and intuitive. Standard query tools have a number of serious usability limitations, as they often rely solely on numerical approaches when dealing with spatial information. The qualitative reasoning community has addressed this issue, by providing powerful formalisms based on the way that humans deal with spatial information, however, integrating these methods into numerical systems raises a number of new Computer-Human Interaction (CHI) problems. This paper addresses three key CHI challenges when combining qualitative and numerical methods: (1) managing the subjective, ambiguous nature of qualitative terms, (2) providing a powerful, yet simple query system, and (3) effectively visualising a complex, fuzzy qualitative query solution. A qualitative GIS called TreeSap is presented, which demonstrates that, with the use of CHI principles, query tools can be both powerful and accessible to non-expert users.

Regulatory Knowledge Encoding Guidelines for Automated Compliance Audit of Building Engineering Design

The main challenges in automating the regulatory compliance checking of building engineering designs are the availability of computable representations of the building and the regulatory knowledge, as well as a system that can process and manage these representations effectively. The emergence of Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Industry Foundation Classes (IFC) at the start of the millennium has sparked useful research in the area of sharing building information effectively, but challenges remain with producing a practical and manageable regulatory knowledge representation that can be processed effectively by a compliance checking system. Research is being conducted to develop a two-part regulatory knowledge representation, which can be maintained independently by designers and regulators. One part is a set of compliant design procedures modelled as Business Process Diagrams (BPD) using an open standard Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN), and the other is the associated regulatory constraints and rules encoded in a computable format suitable for execution with the BPMN. This paper reports on a set of guidelines developed for the purposes of encoding regulatory knowledge into the proposed computable representation. A verification method (C/VM2) prescribed by the New Zealand Building Code (NZBC) for the performance-based design of buildings related to fire safety has been selected as a case study to illustrate the encoding process. These guidelines are adaptable for encoding the entire NZBC. BACKGROUND

A data mapping specification environment using a concrete business form-based metaphor

Many systems require data transformation - the conversion of complex data from one format to another. Most current approaches require programming, scripting or use abstract visual specifications and are targeted to programmers, not business analysts or other end users. We describe a data transformation specification tool that uses a concrete visual metaphor based on the concept of copying data from one business form to another. We describe the visualisation of complex business data in a form that matches the cognitive needs of non-programmer business analysts and the specification of data transformations using our form copying metaphor. A prototype environment is described along with a cognitive dimensions evaluation of our end user visual language.

Indexing the Java API Using Source Code

The basic idea behind software reuse is that software developers use reusable components found in software repositories to reduce the amount of code that has to be written and so increase productivity. A problem arises, however, if the repository is too big - it becomes difficult to find relevant components. What is needed is an effective means to query repositories. Most approaches to developing such means involves creating a good index to which the queries can be applied. Developing a good index requires identifying the relevant information on which to base the index. In this paper, we present the results of a project that used source code as the basis for the index.