Use Case

Dobing & Parsons 111 Chapters Understanding the Role of Use Cases in UML: A Review and Research Agenda1 Brian Dobing University of Lethbridge, Canada Jeffrey Parsons Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada A use case is a description of a sequence of actions ...

F. Granelli et al. (Eds.): MOBILIGHT 2009, LNICST 13, pp. 230–241, 2009. © ICST Institute for Computer Sciences, Social-Informatics and Telecommunication Engineering 2009 ... Self-management in Future Internet Wireless Networks: ... Dynamic Resource Allocation and Traffic Routing ...

Scenario management (SM) means different things to different people, even though everyone seems to admit its current importance and its further potential. In this paper, we seek to provide an interdisciplinary framework for SM from three major disciplines that use scenarios -strategic management, human-computer interaction, and software and systems engineering -to deal with description of current and future realities. In particular, we attempt to answer to the following questions: How are scenarios developed and used in each of the three disciplines? Why are they becoming important? What are current research contributions in scenario management? What are the research and practical issues related to the creation and use of scenarios, in particular in the area of requirements engineering? Based on brainstorming techniques, this paper proposes an interdisciplinary definition of scenarios, frameworks for scenario development, use and evaluation, and directions for future research. 1 The initiative for this effort stemmed from a European Long Term Research Project within the ESPRIT program of the European Union, called CREWS (Cooperative Requirements Engineering With Scenarios), which is coordinated by the first author. Workshop participants listed in the acknowledgments at the end of this paper have contributed to these results in the stimulating atmosphere of Dagstuhl Castle. The workshop was also organized in cooperation with the IFIP Working Group 2.9 (Requirements Engineering), the RENOIR Network of Excellence, and with the RE groups in the British Computer Society and the German Informatics Society. The workshop convened leading researchers and practitioners from various disciplines, in order to cross-examine the effectiveness and efficiency of using scenarios as a tool for modeling, design, development and (technical and organizational) implementation. A corollary theme was the question how the three different disciplines manage scenarios as complex artifacts throughout the planning and systems lifecycle. Selected individual research results by the workshop participants and other researchers have been collected in special issues of the IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering [31] and the Requirements Engineering Journal

L'ingénierie des lignes de produits est une approche récente du génie logiciel. Elle regroupe les activités de développement d'un ensemble de logiciels appartenant à un domaine particulier. L'objectif principal de cette approche est d'augmenter la productivité et diminuer le temps de réalisation. L'une des difficultés est de représenter dans un modèle la variabilité, c'est à dire les parties communes ou distinctes dans différents produits. Cet article propose une approche pour modéliser les lignes de produits en UML, en intégrant à la fois les aspects fonctionnels, statiques et dynamiques. Dans un premier temps, nous proposons une extension des cas d'utilisations, des diagrammes de classes, et des diagrammes de séquences pour tenir compte de la notion de variabilité. La cohérence des modèles est ensuite assurée par des contraintes écrites en OCL (Object Constraint Language).

The frenetic development of the current architectures places a strain on the current state-of-the-art programming environments. Harnessing the full potential of such architectures has been a tremendous task for the whole scientific computing community.

This paper describes how we have developed a knowledge base for a heuristic application in a clinical domain. Firstly, the knowledge base has been modelled using CommonKADS. Later, the knowledge base has been represented in the language DAML+OIL. We will illustrate in some depth how objects, classes and relationships of a medical domain (modelled following an object-oriented approach) can be specified in the Web language DAML+OIL.

Requirements Engineering (RE) is a relatively young discipline, and still many advances have been achieved during the last decades. In particular, numerous RE methods have been proposed. However, there is a growing concern for empirical validations that assess RE proposals and statements. This paper is related to the evaluation of the quality of functional requirements specifications, focusing on completeness and granularity. To do this, several concepts related to conceptual model quality are presented; these concepts lead to the definition of metrics that allow measuring certain aspects of a requirements model quality (e.g. degree of functional encapsulations completeness with respect to a reference model, number of functional fragmentation errors). A laboratory experiment with master students has been carried out, in order to compare (using the proposed metrics) two RE approaches; namely, Use Cases and Communication Analysis. Results indicate greater quality (in terms of completeness and granularity) when Communication Analysis guidelines are followed. Moreover, interesting issues arise from experimental results, which invite further research.

Service-oriented architecture (SOA) is a popular design paradigm for distributed systems today but the high adaptivity and complexity of SOA implementations may also introduce additional sources of faults. We first describe typical steps in SOA to understand possible faults. Then, we provide a corresponding fault taxonomy according to the process of service invocation. Finally, we present possible benefits of our taxonomy for dependability enhancement in SOA-based systems.

Every modern portal ships with some form of internal document library portlet tools that can be used to enable groups to share files. Unfortunately, certain limitations --that the portlet can only view data managed directly by the portal and that document and data files are the only resource that can be browsed --make these tools less valuable in many real-world collaborations. This paper describes a semantically-enhanced scientific resource library portlet that extends the traditional document library to enable interaction with multiple distributed repositories in the cloud and to broaden the set of resources that can be viewed beyond simple hierarchical document folder-files structure to include people, sensors, data streams and other complex digital entities and their relationships. Our technology is based on semantic content abstraction and context aggregation functionality supported by Tupelo, a semantic content middleware and is implemented as a portlet plugin to the Liferay-based CyberCollaboratory portal. We describe the architecture components and the browsing features currently implemented and present a water science use case in which users are able to share documents, raw sensor data streams, and derived virtual sensor data (rainfall) from distributed sources within the same semantic resource library.

Previous research by the Modena Group on Stalking (MGS) regarding awareness and recognition of stalking by police officers and general practitioners using case scenarios showed significant differences across three countries. It was also hypothesized that victims used different pathways when seeking help. To explore the experience of requesting help by victims of stalking in different European countries a detailed survey was completed by 391 victims of stalking in Belgium (n = 145), Italy (n = 126) and Slovenia (n = 120). The research confirmed the significant intensity and duration of stalking and psychological distress for victims. Victims used several pathways to survive stalking. Some victims reported that informal interventions they or family/friends implemented were effective, but the majority had to have recourse to helping agencies. Significant differences in help seeking behaviour were found between the three countries. In Belgium victims contacted the police, as well as other helping agencies, more often and more precociously than in Italy and Slovenia. Restriction orders against the stalker were considered the most effective intervention. Police were regarded as the least supportive agency, taking victims less seriously, and not being particularly effective at stopping the stalkers. Police were ranked after family/friends, lawyers and colleagues, with regards effectiveness, except in Belgium, where Police’s effectiveness was ranked second after lawyers. Stalking often requires the mobilization of multiple helping agencies by victims and it is important that victims are aware of what help is available to them and that agencies become more sensitive to their needs.

The software requirements engineering (RE) process is one of the key processes in software development. The aim of requirements engineering process is capturing, understanding and analyzing customer requirements. Today, use cases are widely used as a technique for specification of the functional requirements of the system. Even through use cases are widely used for specification of the functional requirements, their semantics are unclear that it is difficult to apply them to complex problems. In this paper we have proposed SilabReq language for use cases specification for a standard information system. It is developed under XText framework. The benefits of using SilabReq for use cases specification are reflected in the fact that software requirements are considered as a model. Thereafter, the use cases can be used for automatic processing and analyzing. (Abstract)

Elicitation of requirements for safety critical aeroengine control systems is dependent on the capture of core design intent and the systematic derivation of requirements addressing hazardous deviations from that intent. Derivation of these requirements is inextricably linked to the safety assessment process. Conventional civil aerospace practice (as advocated by guidelines such as ARP4754 and ARP4671) promotes the application of Functional Hazard Assessment (FHA) to sets of statements of functional intent.

This paper presents Gambit, a custom, mid-cost 6-DoF robot manipulator system that can play physical board games against human opponents in non-idealized environments. Historically, unconstrained robotic manipulation in board games has often proven to be more challenging than the underlying game reasoning, making it an ideal testbed for small-scale manipulation. The Gambit system includes a low-cost Kinectstyle visual sensor, a custom manipulator, and state-of-the-art learning algorithms for automatic detection and recognition of the board and objects on it. As a use-case, we describe playing chess quickly and accurately with arbitrary, uninstrumented boards and pieces, demonstrating that Gambit's engineering and design represent a new state-of-the-art in fast, robust tabletop manipulation.

In agile development processes, the rewards from acceptance testing are maximized by using the practice to drive the development process. Traditionally, User Stories are used in agile projects to describe a system's usage scenarios and are utilized as a basis for developing acceptance tests. This paper introduces a technique that aims to achieve the benefits of acceptance testing within large-scale development projects that deploy a V-model development process, specifically those that utilize use case models. The approach is based on utilizing a number of artifacts: use case models supported by robustness diagrams and domain models. The feasibility of the proposed approach is demonstrated by applying it to a real-world system-the RestoMapper system. The results show that a comprehensive set of acceptance tests can be developed based upon use case models.

The systematic capture of appropriately annotated experimental data is a prerequisite for most bioinformatics analyses. Data capture is required not only for submission of data to public repositories, but also to underpin integrated analysis, archiving, and sharing -both within laboratories and in collaborative projects. The widespread requirement to capture data means that data capture and annotation are taking place at many sites, but the small scale of the literature on tools, techniques and experiences suggests that there is work to be done to identify good practice and reduce duplication of effort.

This paper presents the technical and architectural issues associated with automating Demand Response (DR) programs. The paper focuses on a description of the Demand Response Automation Server (DRAS), which is the main component used to automate the interactions between the Utilities and their customers for DR programs. Use cases are presented that show the role of the DRAS in automating various aspects of DR programs. This paper also describes the various technical aspects of the DRAS including its interfaces and major modes of operation. This includes how the DRAS supports automating such Utility/Customer interactions as automated DR bidding, automated DR event handling, and finally real-time pricing.

In the last decade, electronic government in Europe has emerged and established itself as a viable alternative channel for public service delivery. While e-government has now matured in most developed European countries, transition economies in Europe, have only recently begun to recognise its potential benefits and incorporated e-government as part of their national strategy. Although time may result in the amplification of e-government experience for transition economy countries, lessons drawn from developed countries indicate that political, fiscal, social, strategic and organisational issues need to be addressed when formulating plans for deploying e-government. Using case study research, this paper examines strategies adopted by the UK and Slovakia in the context of e-government implementation. Particularly, the paper examines how the perspectives on e-government vision, strategy, focus and related organisational change influence the implementation and diffusion of e-government in developed and transition economies in Europe.

The present study explores driving skills in a group of 50 media-recruited driving-fearful and 50 control drivers, all of whom were women. Participants completed an on-road practical driving assessment with a professional driving instructor. Diagnostic as well as pre-post self-report and instructor driving assessments were conducted. Fearful drivers made more errors on the driving assessment than controls. However, the pattern of errors was identical for both groups, indicating that fear and anxiety may be associated with the number rather than the type of driving errors made. These differences remained when factors such as driving history, current driving frequency, and diagnosis were controlled using case selection. More research is needed to replicate the findings in more diverse samples. Additional work should also aim to clarify the specific role of driving skills in driving fear, which will facilitate treatment planning for exposure-based treatments and help identify cases where driving skills assessment may be appropriate. r

Many Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs) tend to gradually adopt Web based business applications to enhance their business processes. To support this gradual adoption we need a framework that supports iterative development. Further processes that have been supported by web based business applications can change and evolve requiring applications to be changed accordingly. One way to facilitate these requirements is to empower SMEs to make changes to the web application to accommodate the required changes while using that web application. This paper presents a requirement specification tool and a Use Case model of a Web based application which can be used to specify and create the Web applications. This approach will bring the formalism to ad-hoc end-user development by including requirement specification phase. In this approach an application is viewed as a collection of packages. A package consists of related set of use cases. A scope list is developed at the package level. This will assure the required functionality of the application is completely specified. This will also provide a framework to validate the requirements. We have developed this tool in Component Based Development/ Deployment System (CBEADS). Now we are in a process of testing it.

In the coming years user-centric services will be deployed in our homes, cars, offices, etc. Users expect that these services are autonomous and user-friendly. This requires that these services can adapt themselves to changes in the environment, implying that they have to become contextaware. In this paper we present a formal context model and an OSGi based framework that allows easy development and installation of context-aware services. The platform is open since it allows that new components are easily plugged in. Applicability is illustrated with a location determination use case in an desk sharing office environment where employees don't have a fixed location or desk.

The Semantic Web relies on two layers: XML and RDF. XML documents are merely trees representing structured data or documents and accessed using XPath. RDF is used for a Web of data and to provide metadata about data or documents; it is organized as graphs made of collections of elementary triples and can be queried using SPARQL. Based on these two paradigms, there exist tools and platforms that produce and process both XML and RDF. When doing information integration and mash-up applications, there are scenarios where we need to query, compare and integrate data coming from both worlds. In this report we present a seamless way of mixing both paradigms in SPARQL. Generic extensions to SPARQL are explained, and then we provide use cases and an application in semantic annotation of textual documents using NLP techniques.

The presence of MEs has proven to strengthen the Indonesian economic stability. They are important for several reasons: their contributions to the national production, the total units of enterprises, and the creation of employment. Despite the fact that MEs are very potential for building a stable economic growth, developing MEs is a challenging issue. The most critical problem in today’s Indonesian MEs lies on Human Capital related issues. The study aims to explore the current Human Capital Management (HCM) initiatives and how it affect the sustainability of the organization. More specific, the study aims to describe the HCM policies, programs, and practices being employed by medium-sized manufacturing enterprises, and what factors act as enablers that motivate human capital to undertake the current HCM policies, programs, and practices. By using case study approach, preliminary prepositions are developed.

Manufacturing control systems are a mission-critical application domain for semantic agents systems. While multi-agent systems have been explored in the manufacturing systems domain, there is very little work on semantically enabled agent systems. This chapter introduces a layered architecture for manufacturing systems based on agent systems and discusses relevant capabilities of the semantic agents based on real-world use cases.

System testing is concerned with testing an entire system based on its specifications. In the context of object-oriented, UML development, this means that system test requirements are derived from UML analysis artifacts such as use cases, their corresponding sequence and collaboration diagrams, class diagrams, and possibly the use of the Object Constraint Language across all these artifacts. Our goal is to support the derivation of test requirements, which will be transformed into test cases, test oracles, and test drivers once we have detailed design information. Another important issue we address is the one of testability. Testability requirements (or rules) need to be imposed on UML artifacts so as to be able to support system testing efficiently. Those testability requirements result from a trade-off between analysis and design overhead and improved testability. The potential for automation is also an overriding concern all across our work as the ultimate goal is to fully support testing activities with high-capability tools.

Distributed Real-time Embedded (DRE) systems are increasingly used in critical domains such as avionics, vehicle and industrial control as well as in medical systems. They must be designed carefully and have to provide safety properties because a failure could mean loss of life. For these reasons, it is recommended to automatically generate a significant part of the code from the models describing the critical aspects. In our approach, we automatically generate two kinds of code from architectural models. The first one plugs the user functional code in the middleware, the second one provides a significant part of the middleware functions. Both rely on a hand coded written middleware that provides the minimal facilities to plug the generated code and to resolve portability issues. In this paper, we present our code generator and the middleware designed to generate High Integrity (HI) systems. We demonstrate via several use-cases how we succeeded in meeting the requirements of DRE sys...

Evolution of software systems is prompted by all sorts of changes. This paper demonstrates how the use case, a well known construct in objectoriented analysis, is adapted to form the change case, to identify and articulate anticipated system changes. A change case provides the ability to identify and incorporate expected future change into a design to enhance the long-term robustness of that design. In this paper, we define change cases and demonstrate how change cases are captured by the analyst. We present examples to illustrate how change cases can influence present system design and point the way toward designs that more easily accommodate expected future changes. Change cases can be effectively employed in the context of any methodology that supports use cases and traceability links.

Abstract. Free/Libre and Open Source Software (FLOSS) is a process of software development, a method of licensing and a philosophy. Although FLOSS plays a significant role in several market areas, the impact in the health care arena is still limited. FLOSS is promoted as one of the most effective means for overcoming fragmentation in the health care sector and providing a basis for more efficient, timely and cost effective health care provision. The 2008 European Federation for Medical Informatics (EFMI) Special Topic Conference (STC) explored a range of current and future issues related to FLOSS in healthcare (FLOSS-HC). In particular, there was a focus on health records, ubiquitous computing, knowledge sharing, and current and future applications. Discussions resulted in a list of main barriers and challenges for use of FLOSS-HC. Based on the outputs of this event, the 2004 Open Steps events and subsequent workshops at OSEHC2009 and Med-e-Tel 2009, a four-step strategy has been pr...

The paper differentiates between three conceptualizations of organizational networks: as resources, as organizational logic, and as a change mechanism. We integrate and apply these conceptualizations in one of the first comprehensive studies of private business schools in post-socialism. Using case studies, content analysis of websites, and an open-ended survey of administrators, we show how East-West networks helped in establishing a new type of organization at the end of socialism, how schools use networking as a core organizational principle to enhance efficacy and legitimacy, and how their activities help build capitalism from the bottom up by transmitting marketbased knowledge to post-socialist economic actors.

Cloud computing enables a transparent access to information technology (IT) services such that the users do not need to know the location and characteristics of the relevant resources. While IT resource virtualization and service abstraction have been widely investigated, data transport within the cloud and its efficient control have not received much attention in the technical literature. In fact, connectivity is, itself, a service that contributes to the overall performance of the cloud. This paper introduces a novel classification of the Network as a Service (NaaS) such that it can be orchestrated with other cloud services. Then, it proposes a network virtualization platform (NVP) as the mediation layer able to provide NaaS to cloud computing by exploiting the functionality provided by control plane (CP)-enabled networks. In particular, the proposed NVP maps the end-point addresses and perceived Quality of Service parameters of a NaaS requests in the parameters characterizing the connectivity as viewed by transport networks using the information obtained from the CP at the boundary of the network. The NVP uses these parameters to fulfill connectivity requests to the CP. Finally, this paper presents a complete design from both the software implementation and network signaling perspective of two use cases in which NaaS is involved as stand-alone facility for the connectivity service provisioning or is combined with other cloud services for a storage service provisioning.

This paper outlines the development of a knowledge-based system (KBS) which integrates environmental factors into the supplier selection process. The system employs both case-based reasoning (CBR) and decision support components including multi-attribute analysis (MAA). Traditionally, when evaluating supplier performance, companies have considered factors such as price, quality, flexibility etc. However, with environmental pressures increasing, many companies have begun to consider environmental issues and the measurement of their suppliers' environmental performance. The framework presented in this paper was developed from an analysis of environmental management practices in a number of companies along with a thorough literature survey. The paper then outlines how the most important parts of the framework were computerised using KBS techniques. An evaluation of the system implemented in a multinational company is presented along with proposals for future system enhancements. q

In this paper, we describe a knowledge management framework that addresses the needs of multimedia analysis projects and provides a basis for information retrieval systems. The framework uses Semantic Web technologies to provide a shared knowledge environment, and active Knowledge Machines, wrapping multimedia processing tools, to exploit and/or export knowledge to this environment. This framework is able to handle a wide range of use cases, from an enhanced workspace for researchers to end-user information access. As an illustration of how the proposed framework can be used, we present a case study of music analysis.

Topic Map Constraint Language (TMCL) provides a means to express constraints on topic maps conforming to ISO/IEC 13250. In this article, we will use a test suite and show, step-by-step, the way we handled several kinds of Topic Maps constraints in many different instances in order to answer questions like: Do they do the same job? Are there some kinds of Topic Maps constraints that are easier to specify with one of them? Do you need different background to use the tools? Is it possible to use them in similar situations (the same topic maps instances)? May we use them to produce an equal result? How do AsTMa!, OSL, Toma, and XTche relate to Topic Maps Constraint Language (TMCL)? What kind of constraints each one of these three can not specify? We will conclude this paper with a summary of the comparisons accomplished between those Topic Maps constraint languages over the use case proposed.

Lack of knowledge and skills among small business managers has been well recognised, but how to effectively support small business managers in their knowledge acquisition and decision making with emerging information and communication technologies is still a challenge. This paper describes an application attempt to develop an intelligent web-based training system for SMEs to aid their learning and decision-making regarding the use of the Internet as a new marketing medium. Based on the training needs analysis carried out by a EU-funded research project TRIMAR, a case-based reasoning (CBR) approach is adopted as an effective tool to help small business managers to learn and to make better decisions. Over seventy small business Internet marketing cases were collected and processed. They form a case base for CBR in the system. The initial feedback from users proves using case base reasoning approach is effective, but the quality and the comprehensiveness of case base are key factors fo...

Sandplay therapy has been utilized with various populations, including those with posttraumatic stress disorder (e.g., Coalson, 1995), children with traumatic brain injury (e.g., Plotts, Lasser, & Prater, 2008), and individuals with substance abuse problems (e.g., Marcello, 2008). However, there are scant references to the employment of sandplay therapy with individuals with dementia. Using case studies from the author’s own work, the article provides concrete illustrations of how sandplay therapy may be a significant mode of therapy to consider in working with dementia. This article also explores how sandplay facilitates the individuation process, provides a venue for nonverbal therapy, and promotes the exploration and deepening of an individual’s connection with the unconscious mind. Implications for research are also discussed.

: A density map of vessel traffic in front of Rotterdam during a single day. The density map is a combination of four density fields each covering a quarter of the day. The following manually defined color map is used: night is dark blue, morning is bright yellow, afternoon is dark yellow, and evening is bright blue. Furthermore, the saturation of the color represents the density field contribution and the hue is given by the period with the highest density. To discriminate daylight patterns from nighttime, the night and evening use half the kernel radius of the other periods. This figure shows that the main routes are the most used during daylight, while in the night deviations from these routes occur.

Offshore and outsourced distributed software development models and processes are facing challenges, previously unknown, with respect to computing capacity, bandwidth, storage, security, complexity, reliability, and business uncertainty. Clouds promise to address these challenges by adopting recent advances in virtualization, parallel and distributed systems, utility computing, and software services. In this paper, we envision a cloud-based platform that addresses some of these core problems. We outline a generic cloud architecture, its design and our first implementation results for three cloud forms - a compute cloud, a storage cloud and a cloud-based software service- in the context of global distributed software development (GSD). Our ”compute cloud” provides computational services such as continuous code integration and a compile server farm, ”storage cloud” offers storage (block or file-based) services with an on-line virtual storage service, whereas the on-line virtual labs represent a useful cloud service. We note some of the use cases for clouds in GSD, the lessons learned with our prototypes and identify challenges that must be conquered before realizing the full business benefits. We believe that in the future, software practitioners will focus more on these cloud computing platforms and see clouds as a means to supporting a ecosystem of clients, developers and other key stakeholders.

A natural shift is taking place in the approaches being adopted by plant scientists in response to the accessibility of systems-based technology platforms. Metabolomics is one such field, which involves a comprehensive non-biased analysis of metabolites in a given cell at a specific time. This review briefly introduces the emerging field and a range of analytical techniques that are most useful in metabolomics when combined with computational approaches in data analyses. Using cases from Arabidopsis and other selected plant systems, this review highlights how information can be integrated from metabolomics and other functional genomics platforms to obtain a global picture of plant cellular responses. We discuss how metabolomics is enabling large-scale and parallel interrogation of cell states under different stages of development and defined environmental conditions to uncover novel interactions among various pathways. Finally, we discuss selected applications of metabolomics.

The verification of the correct implementation of use cases is a vital task in software development and quality assurance. Although there are many works describing how to generate test cases from use cases, there are very few case studies and empirical results of their application and effectiveness. This paper introduces a first case study that test the correct implementation of use cases in a web system and a command line system, analyses the results and exposes that generation of use cases has a successful about 80%.