UML is widely adopted for modelling object-oriented software systems, including diagrams that cover the several facets of the entire development life cycle. Approaches to formal semantics of UML tend to concentrate on individual diagrams and, so far, no complete, standard, semantics is available. Here, we explore a different path and define a natural-language semantics for UML models that embody state machines and composite structure diagrams. We then integrate with the NAT2TEST strategy to provide means for an integrated framework for the validation (via simulation) and verification (via testing – QuickChick, interactive theorem proving – Rocq, and model checking – FDR) of UML models. The integration is based on a systematic process (mapping rules), and its soundness has been validated considering an independent reference formal semantics. The developed tool support uses ATL to implement the translation from UML models to natural-language requirements directly based on the proposed mapping rules. We illustrate our contributions and tool support with respect to two case studies: the classical Dijkstra’s dining philosophers problem, and a distributed ring-buffer model.

A robot affects and is affected by its environment, so that typically its behaviour depends on properties of that environment. For verification, we need to formalise those properties. Modelling the environment is very challenging, if not impossible, but we can capture assumptions. Here, we present RoboWorld, a domain-specific controlled natural language with a process algebraic semantics that can be used to define (a) operational requirements, and (b) environment interactions of a robot. RoboWorld is part of the RoboStar framework for verification of robotic systems. In this article, we define RoboWorld’s syntax and hybrid semantics, and illustrate its use for capturing operational requirements, for automatic test generation, and for proof. We also present a tool that supports the writing of RoboWorld documents. Since RoboWorld is a controlled natural language, it complements the other RoboStar notations in being accessible to roboticists, while at the same time benefitting from a formal semantics to support rigorous verification (via testing and proof).

Context: Test automation is often seen as a possible solution to overcome the challenges of testing mobile devices. However, most of the automation techniques adopted for mobile testing are intrusive and, sometimes, unrealistic. One possible solution for coping with intrusive and unrealistic testing is the use of robots. Despite the growing interest in the intersection between robotics and software testing, the motivations, the usefulness, and the return of investment of adopting robots for supporting testing activities are not clear. Objective: We aim at surveying the literature on the use of robotics for supporting mobile testing with a focus on the motivations, the types of tests that are automated, and the reported effectiveness/efficiency. Method: We conduct a systematic mapping study on robotic testing of mobile devices (hereafter, referred as robotic mobile testing). We searched primary studies published since 2000 by querying five digital libraries, and by performing backward and forward snowballing cycles. Results: We started with a set of 1353 papers and after applying our study protocol, we selected a final set of 20 primary studies. We provide both a quantitative analysis, and a qualitative evaluation of the motivations, types of tests automated and the effectiveness/efficiency reported by the selected studies. Conclusions: Based on the selected studies, allowing more realistic interactions is among the main motivations for adopting robotic mobile testing. The tests automated with the support of robots are usually system-level tests targeting stress, interface, and performance testing. More empirical evidence is needed for supporting the claimed benefits. Most of the surveyed work do not compare the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed robotics-based approach against traditional automation techniques. We discuss the implications of our findings for researchers and practitioners, and outline a research agenda.

Photovoltaic Solar Energy (PSE) sector has gained great attention during the last decades due to its significant role in the transition to sustainable energy systems. As a viable energy option, PSE has the potential to meet many of the challenges facing the world, along with the diminution of world’s dependency to fossil fuels, greenhouse gas emissions reduction and global warming mitigation. In the case of Brazil, the adoption of photovoltaic solar energy is mainly driven by the shortages and several other barriers that are met in the Brazilian energy sector. The development of the Brazilian PSE is the main concern of this study, and authors focus on the investigation of certain factors and their influence on this main outcome with the use of Fuzzy Cognitive Maps (FCMs). FCM is a well-established methodology for scenario analysis and management in diverse domains, and is based on fuzzy logic and neural networks aspects. In this paper we report particularly on the application of a new web-based software tool, called "FCMWizard", which can model complex and dynamic systems, implement several hypotheses and run various scenarios, helping decision-makers and stakeholders with the policy-making and energy management process. In this context, a semi-quantitative model was designed, which comprises 10 key concepts and three plausible scenarios were further conducted. The findings of this study highlight the economic and political influence on the development of the PSE sector in Brazil.

Conformance testing is a formal and structured approach to verifying system correctness. We propose a conformance testing algorithm for cyber-physical systems, based on the notion of hybrid conformance by Abbas and Fainekos. We show how the dynamics of system specification and the sampling rate play an essential role in making sound verdicts. We specify and prove error bounds that lead to sound test-suites for a given specification and a given sampling rate. We use reachability analysis to find such bounds and implement the proposed approach using the CORA toolbox in Matlab. We apply the implemented approach on a case study from the automotive domain.

Abstract At the very beginning of system development, typically only natural-language requirements are documented. As an informal source of information, however, natural-language specifications may be ambiguous and incomplete; this can be hard to detect by means of manual inspection. In this work, we present a formal model, named data-flow reactive system (DFRS), which can be automatically obtained from natural-language requirements that describe functional, reactive and temporal properties. A DFRS can also be used to assess whether the requirements are consistent and complete. We define two variations of DFRS: a symbolic and an expanded version. A symbolic DFRS (s-DFRS) is a concise representation that inherently avoids an explicit representation of (possibly infinite) sets of states and, thus, the state space-explosion problem. We use s-DFRS as part of a technique for test-case generation from natural-language requirements. In our approach, an expanded DFRS (e-DFRS) is built dynamically from a symbolic one, possibly limited to some bound; in this way, bounded analysis (e.g., reachability, determinism, completeness) can be performed. We adopt the s-DFRS as an intermediary representation from which models, for instance, SCR and CSP, are obtained for the purpose of test generation. An e-DFRS can also be viewed as the semantics of the s-DFRS from which it is generated. In order to connect such a semantic representation to established ones in the literature, we show that an e-DFRS can be encoded as a TIOTS: an alternative timed model based on the widely used IOLTS and ioco. To validate our overall approach, we consider two toy examples and two examples from the aerospace and automotive industry. Test cases are independently created and we verify that they are all compatible with the corresponding e-DFRS models generated from symbolic ones. This verification is performed mechanically with the aid of the NAT2TEST tool, which supports the manipulation of such models.

The city of Rio de Janeiro will host the 2016 Olympic and Paralympics Games. Several improvements are being planned for the city in order to prepare it for the so called Rio 2016 event. This sequence of developments will be decided by a Local Committee and many people enthusiastic to participate should contribute by sending ideas and actually collaborate in the planning process. To assist this huge task force, our paper intends to use decision support systems techniques and cognitive means through different approaches in order to aid large groups in their discussions, their alternatives generation and all group choosing process. This work presents a semantic search method in the LaSca system for the MUTIRÕ project, which explores the coordination in a Large Scale decision support system. The importance of a locale semantic search comparing to a classical search method is that most contributors are not formal and well behaved in language structure, using lots of slang and alternative means of communication. As Brazil is a continental country it created several local ways of communications that vary from place to place creating additional difficulties for a search tool. A smart thesaurus must be constructed through semi-automatic means and a search engine should be crated to allow feasible searches by the users. The main task of this project is to help groups interested in the Rio 2016 success taking into account socioeconomic and geographical aspects.

Decision-making involves choosing between one or more alternatives, to achieve one or more goals. To support this process, there are decision support systems that employ different approaches, supporting groups or not. Generally, however, these systems do not have great flexibility; their users have to follow preestablished decision methods. This paper, then, briefly addresses LaSca, a decision support system that employs different approaches in supporting large groups, for the benefits its use presents in decision-making processes, in their problem and solution discussing, alternatives generation and group choosing process, this way letting its users to also decide how to decide. Then, it presents the system's last improvements. Finally, this work discusses how the LaSca system could help design a great sports event such as the upcoming 2016 Olympic games at Rio de Janeiro with the aid of large groups, using the organization of the Public Security schema of the Panamerican Championship of Artistic Gymnastics, that happened in November 2009, in Aracaju, Brazil, as an example.

The historic decision to take the biggest sporting competition in the world to South America was announced by the International Olympic Committee in Copenhagen, Denmark and started several projects in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The redevelopment of Praça Mauá Pier, one of a number of improvements planned for the city's port is the first of a series of enhancements planned for the city in order to prepare it for the so called Rio 2016 event. This sequence of developments will be decided by a Local Committee and should be aided by many people eager to participate and actually collaborate in construction process. To support this process, this paper intends to use decision support systems that employ different approaches in supporting large groups in their problem and solution discussing, alternatives generation and group choosing process. This work presents the use of the LaSca system in the MUTIRÕ project, which explores the coordination in a Large Scale decision support system that sustains the argumentations which were produced by the discussion involving the members of the design team and aids them to achieve a final conclusion. The main task of this project is to help groups interested in the Rio 2016 success taking into account socioeconomics aspects.

Now-a-days, with the wide availability of Internet access, a great diffusion of the decision-making in large groups concepts and practices is happening, with many softwares to support it and many people eager to participate and actually collaborating arising. However, these ideas are not exactly new. In the middle of the 5th-4th century BC, some Greek city-states, like Athens, already had a political system in which the citizens of these states made the governmental decisions. And, besides being the birthplace of Democracy, Greece, with its high-developed philosophy ideas, also laid the foundations to Argumentation Theory, which will help in analyzing and validating the today's concepts of decision-making in large groups used in the LaSca (from Large Scale) Decision Support System. This paper, after presenting this discussion, and also illustrating some concepts of Collaboration Engineering with the developed system, will give an example of how LaSca could be extremely useful in an actual electoral system.

Decision-making involves choosing between one ore more alternatives, to achieve one or more goals. To support this process, there are decision support systems that employ different approaches, supporting groups or not. Generally, however, these systems do not have great flexibility; their users have to follow pre- established decision methods. This paper, after exposing some decision-making processes, describes a system, LaSca (from Large Scale), to support decisions in large-scale groups. This system, besides allowing effective achievement of the benefits of deciding in large groups through the proper structuring of the group, also allows its users to define themselves how this structuring will happen, based or not in the existing theories on the subject. So, in addition to facilitate the decision-making process, LaSca also allows its users to decide how to decide.

The proposed workshop aims at presenting the state of the art of cooperation between Europe and Latin America in the field of ICT research, the new approach to international cooperation of the Seventh Framework Programme for Research and the existing participation possibilities for Lain American researchers and research institutions to join European projects in the ICT field. The workshop will also be a moment of discussion on the best strategies to strengthen existing cooperation schemes and to improve long term cooperation between Europe and Latin America in the field.

Decision-making involves choosing between one ore more alternatives, to achieve one ore more goals. This process is composed of a series of steps, ranging from the identification of the problem itself, going trough the definition of criteria that characterize possible solutions to the problem, to the decision-making itself, in which a possible solution to the exposed problem is finally adopted. These steps can be performed by a single person or by a group of people. In group decisions, the solution choice at the end of the process must be effectively made by the group. To support this process, there are decision support systems that employ different approaches, supporting groups or not. This paper defines the decision-making process, presenting benefits of group decision and describes a system to support decisions in large scale groups. Participatory design in the BamPetro environment preservation project seeks to bring a large number of end users into the design process to take into account different perspectives, and help the group cope with multi-objective decisions. These decisions demand synergy among users of the environment preservation project, even though they represent different areas, competencies, political agendas and social interests.