Uma abordagem dirigida por modelos para gerência de variabilidade e execução de processos de software

This dissertation presents a model-driven and integrated approach to variability management, customization and execution of software processes. Our approach is founded on the principles and techniques of software product lines and model-driven engineering. Model-driven engineering provides support to the specification of software processes and their transformation to workflow specifications. Software product lines techniques allows the automatic variability management of process elements and fragments. Additionally, in our approach, workflow technologies enable the process execution in workflow engines. In order to evaluate the approach feasibility, we have implemented it using existing model-driven engineering technologies. The software processes are specified using Eclipse Process Framework (EPF). The automatic variability management of software processes has been implemented as an extension of an existing product derivation tool. Finally, ATL and Acceleo transformation languages are adopted to transform EPF process to jPDL workflow language specifications in order to enable the deployment and execution of software processes in the JBoss BPM workflow engine. The approach is evaluated through the modeling and modularization of the project management discipline of the Open Unified Process (OpenUP)

Uma abordagem sistemática para implementação, gerenciamento e customização de testes de linhas de produto de software

Through the adoption of the software product line (SPL) approach, several benefits are achieved when compared to the conventional development processes that are based on creating a single software system at a time. The process of developing a SPL differs from traditional software construction, since it has two essential phases: the domain engineering - when common and variables elements of the SPL are defined and implemented; and the application engineering - when one or more applications (specific products) are derived from the reuse of artifacts created in the domain engineering. The test activity is also fundamental and aims to detect defects in the artifacts produced in SPL development. However, the characteristics of an SPL bring new challenges to this activity that must be considered. Several approaches have been recently proposed for the testing process of product lines, but they have been shown limited and have only provided general guidelines. In addition, there is also a lack of tools to support the variability management and customization of automated case tests for SPLs. In this context, this dissertation has the goal of proposing a systematic approach to software product line testing. The approach offers: (i) automated SPL test strategies to be applied in the domain and application engineering, (ii) explicit guidelines to support the implementation and reuse of automated test cases at the unit, integration and system levels in domain and application engineering; and (iii) tooling support for automating the variability management and customization of test cases. The approach is evaluated through its application in a software product line for web systems. The results of this work have shown that the proposed approach can help the developers to deal with the challenges imposed by the characteristics of SPLs during the testing process

Dos requisitos à arquitetura em linhas de produtos de software: uma estratégia de transformações entre modelos

The tracking between models of the requirements and architecture activities is a strategy that aims to prevent loss of information, reducing the gap between these two initial activities of the software life cycle. In the context of Software Product Lines (SPL), it is important to have this support, which allows the correspondence between this two activities, with management of variability. In order to address this issue, this paper presents a process of bidirectional mapping, defining transformation rules between elements of a goaloriented requirements model (described in PL-AOVgraph) and elements of an architectural description (defined in PL-AspectualACME). These mapping rules are evaluated using a case study: the GingaForAll LPS. To automate this transformation, we developed the MaRiPLA tool (Mapping Requirements to Product Line Architecture), through MDD techniques (Modeldriven Development), including Atlas Transformation Language (ATL) with specification of Ecore metamodels jointly with Xtext , a DSL definition framework, and Acceleo, a code generation tool, in Eclipse environment. Finally, the generated models are evaluated based on quality attributes such as variability, derivability, reusability, correctness, traceability, completeness, evolvability and maintainability, extracted from the CAFÉ Quality Model

X-ARM: um modelo de representação de artefatos de software

A great challenge of the Component Based Development is the creation of mechanisms to facilitate the finding of reusable assets that fulfill the requirements of a particular system under development. In this sense, some component repositories have been proposed in order to answer such a need. However, repositories need to represent the asset characteristics that can be taken into account by the consumers when choosing the more adequate assets for their needs. In such a context, the literature presents some models proposed to describe the asset characteristics, such as identification, classification, non-functional requirements, usage and deployment information and component interfaces. Nevertheless, the set of characteristics represented by those models is insufficient to describe information used before, during and after the asset acquisition. This information refers to negotiation, certification, change history, adopted development process, events, exceptions and so on. In order to overcome this gap, this work proposes an XML-based model to represent several characteristics, of different asset types, that may be employed in the component-based development. Besides representing metadata used by consumers, useful for asset discovering, acquisition and usage, this model, called X-ARM, also focus on helping asset developers activities. Since the proposed model represents an expressive amount of information, this work also presents a tool called X-Packager, developed with the goal of helping asset description with X-ARM

Aplicação do método B ao projeto formal de software embarcado

This work shows a project method proposed to design and build software components from the software functional m del up to assembly code level in a rigorous fashion. This method is based on the B method, which was developed with support and interest of British Petroleum (BP). One goal of this methodology is to contribute to solve an important problem, known as The Verifying Compiler. Besides, this work describes a formal model of Z80 microcontroller and a real system of petroleum area. To achieve this goal, the formal model of Z80 was developed and documented, as it is one key component for the verification upto the assembly level. In order to improve the mentioned methodology, it was applied on a petroleum production test system, which is presented in this work. Part of this technique is performed manually. However, almost of these activities can be automated by a specific compiler. To build such compiler, the formal modelling of microcontroller and modelling of production test system should provide relevant knowledge and experiences to the design of a new compiler. In ummary, this work should improve the viability of one of the most stringent criteria for formal verification: speeding up the verification process, reducing design time and increasing the quality and reliability of the product of the final software. All these qualities are very important for systems that involve serious risks or in need of a high confidence, which is very common in the petroleum industry

Support Tool to the Validation Process of Functional Requirements

The activity of validating identified requirements for an information system helps to improve the quality of a requirements specification document and, consequently, the success of a project. Although various different support tools to requirements engineering exist in the market, there is still a lack of automated support for validation activity. In this context, the purpose of this paper is to make up for that deficiency, with the use of an automated tool, to provide the resources for the execution of an adequate validation activity. The contribution of this study is to enable an agile and effective follow-up of the scope established for the requirements, so as to lead the development to a solution which would satisfy the real necessities of the users, as well as to supply project managers with relevant information about the maturity of the analysts involved in requirements specification.

Definição de requisitos de software baseada numa arquitetura de modelagem de negócios

Não é uma tarefa fácil definir requisitos para os sistemas de software que darão suporte a um negócio, dada a dinâmica de mudanças nos processos. O levantamento de requisitos tem sido feito de forma empírica, sem o apoio de métodos sistematizados que garantam o desenvolvimento baseado nos reais objetivos do negócio. A engenharia de software carece de métodos que tornem mais ordenadas e metódicas as etapas de modelagem de negócios e de levantamento de requisitos de um sistema. Neste artigo é apresentada uma metodologia de desenvolvimento de software resultante da incorporação de atividades propostas para modelagem de negócios e levantamento de requisitos, baseadas em uma arquitetura de modelagem de negócios. Essas atividades tornam o desenvolvimento de software mais sistemático e alinhado aos objetivos da organização, e podem ser incorporadas em qualquer metodologia de desenvolvimento baseada no UP (Unified Process - Processo Unificado).

Transforming open mining pits into fish farms: Moving towards sustainability

The legacy of mining activities has typically been land 'returned to wildlife', or, at some sites, degraded to such an extent that it is unsuitable for any alternate use. Progress towards sustainability is made when value is added in terms of the ecological, social and economic well-being of the community. In keeping with the principles of sustainable development, the innovative use of flooded open pits and tailings impoundments as commercial, recreational or ornamental fish farms should be considered in some locations, as it could make a significant contribution to the social equity, economic vitality and environmental integrity of mining communities. This article highlights the growing significance of aquaculture and explores the benefits and barriers to transforming flooded pits and impoundments into aquaculture operations. Among other benefits, aquaculture may provide a much-needed source of revenue, employment and, in some cases, food to communities impacted by mine closure. Further, aquaculture in a controlled closed environment may be more acceptable to critics of fish farming who are concerned about fish escapes and viral transmissions to wild populations. Despite the potential benefits, aquaculture in flooded pits and impoundments is not without its complications - it requires a site-specific design approach that must consider issues ranging from metals uptake by fish, to the long-term viability of the aquatic system as fish habitat, to the overall contribution of aquaculture to sustainability. © 2004 United Nations. Published by Blackwell Publishing.

Diagnosis of a compacted area for mining through the mechanical resistance to the penetration using geostatistical methods in the Amazon Forest

The mining process promotes land modification and complete landscape alteration. Those alterations in the surface are shown more obviously in the aesthetical aspect as the visual elements of form, texture, climbs, complexity and color which composes the landscape. As a consequence, mining has impacts on the topography, in the soil, in the vegetation and in the area's drainage, with a direct influence on the enterprise. A quite common problem in the recovery of degraded areas in mineral exploration is the compaction of the soil due to the intense traffic of machines and earth movement. The most common problem of the compaction of a degraded surface is an increase of the mechanical resistance to the penetration of plant roots, a reduction of the aeration, an alteration of the flow of water and heat, also in the availability of water and nutrients. Thus, the present work had the basic objective of diagnosing the compaction of an area degraded by mining in a spacial way, through the mechanical resistance and the penetration, to guide the future subsoiling in the area requiring recovery. Through the studies, it was concluded that the krigagem method in agreement with the space variation allows the division of the area under study into sub areas facilitating a future work to reduce costs and unnecessary interference to the atmosphere. The method was shown to be quite appropriate and it can be used in the diagnosis of compaction in a degraded area by mining, foreseeing the subsoiling requirement.

Environmental solutions of recovery of Amazonian forest mining operations

In order for the projects of recovery of degraded areas to be successful, it is necessary to have a perfect recovery of the soil where the revegetation will be implanted as an initial action in the recovery of the whole process. The use of native forest species fully adapted to these types of terrain is another aspect of great importance, once the non-selection of these species, even if abundant in the surrounding areas, as it is in our case, implies great mortality of individuals during the planting and their low fixation during the process. The establishment of a monitoring program that contemplates the advancements obtained in the soil, the vegetation and the return of wild animals also collaborate in the evaluation of the success of the process. And, finally, the effective participation of the mining company, accepting and applying the techniques tested and indicated by research, even if, initially, the return time is longer than expected, also guarantees the success of the process. The mining company not only implemented a partnership with important universities in Brazil to obtain solutions for the environmental problems but also applied the developed techniques and the monitoring program. In the present work, we have attempted to summarize important aspects to evaluate the advancements in the rehabilitation plan for those areas, being here presented some results of the monitoring of areas under different levels of recovery, in accordance with the techniques adopted. Biological parameters of the soil were used to verify the efficiency of these different techniques in the recovery process. This work is part of the monitoring program of areas in rehabilitation by the mining company, implemented as of 1999 and in partnership with universities. The microbial activity was determined through the quantification of the carbon and nitrogen microbial biomass (BMC and BMN) and the activity of the dehydrogenase evaluated in the mining floor and tailing areas in different levels of soil preparation and planting of native species. The analysis of the parameters studied revealed that the preparation of the soil, following the three years proposed by the methodology, was important for the success in establishing the rehabilitation process. Some of the areas analyzed already show some parameters with values close or superior to those found in the capoeira (secondary forest), the latter being the non-treated area. © 2010 WIT Press.

Mechanical tillage of degraded mining areas at Jamari national forest (Amazonian forest, Rondônia - BR)

According to the environmental legislation enforced in Brazil and the process of marketing globalization, the commitment of the nations to the preservation of the environment is intensified. By reason of nature's negative responses to its intensive use, awareness then appears from enterprises and agencies about how the anthropic action over the environment needs to be minimized, becoming a challenge: development and sustainability. In this context, the present work made use of the Mechanical tillage of the soil, as a technique to apply, in a large scale, the strategies and methods to recover mined areas that were researched and developed experimentally by researchers on a theme project about the recovering of degraded areas. This work was conducted in the Amazon ecosystem, inside the Jamari National Forest - Rondônia (FLONA do Jamari), in deactivated cassiterite mines. The objectives of this work were to: Develop a computational program capable of managing a database and assist in the selection of machines and preparation methods to execute the operations of topographical reconstitution and tillage of surfaces in areas degraded by the mineral exploitation of cassiterite. Use the program that was developed in the planning of costs and operational development, for the operations required in the strategies for recovering the areas. Analyze the vegetable productivity in the mobilized areas and the quality of the superficial mobilization, making use of indicators and tillage methods. Evaluate, through biological indicators, the efficiency of the recovery strategies and techniques that were mechanized and applied on the location. The results showed that the developed computational program (SGMAD) served the methodological purposes (the analysis of costs and operational capacity) established for the planning and the selection of the tillage machines and methods in the areas of mineral exploitation of cassiterite. The applied methods and quality of the superficial mobilization were significant to the development of leguminous plants in the areas. The use of biological indicators (microbial biomass and enzymatic activity) in the evaluation of the adopted techniques and strategies revealed that the planting of leguminous plants and their posterior incorporation have been promoting gradually positive alterations in some of the analyzed soil/substract parameters. © 2010 WIT Press.

Small-scale mining: a new entrepreneurial approach

Includes bibliography

Knowledge-based risk management: Survey on Brazilian software development enterprises

A risks management, carried on in an effective way, leads the software development to success and may influence on the organization. The knowledge takes part of such a process as a way to help taking decisions. This research aimed to analyze the use of Knowledge Management techniques to the Risk Management in software projects development and the possible influence on the enterprise revenue. It had, as its main studying subject, Brazilian incubated and graduated software developing enterprises. The chosen research method was the Survey type. Multivariate statistical methods were used for the treatment and analysis of the obtained results, this way identifying the most significant factors, that is, enterprise's achievement constraining factors and those outcome achievement ones. Among the latter we highlight the knowledge methodology, the time of existence of the enterprise, the amount of employees and the knowledge externalization. The results encourage contributing actions to the increasing of financial revenue. © 2013 Springer-Verlag.

3D geovisualisation techniques applied in spatial data mining

The increase in the number of spatial data collected has motivated the development of geovisualisation techniques, aiming to provide an important resource to support the extraction of knowledge and decision making. One of these techniques are 3D graphs, which provides a dynamic and flexible increase of the results analysis obtained by the spatial data mining algorithms, principally when there are incidences of georeferenced objects in a same local. This work presented as an original contribution the potentialisation of visual resources in a computational environment of spatial data mining and, afterwards, the efficiency of these techniques is demonstrated with the use of a real database. The application has shown to be very interesting in interpreting obtained results, such as patterns that occurred in a same locality and to provide support for activities which could be done as from the visualisation of results. © 2013 Springer-Verlag.

Desenvolvimento de hardware e software para tratamento e visualização de dados de descargas atmosféricas aplicados à segurança da navegação hidroviária

Pós-graduação em Engenharia Elétrica - FEIS