ATLANMOD Research team

Modeling Technologies for Software Production, Operation, and Evolution

Team presentation

Model Driven Engineering (MDE) is an emerging research area that considers the main software artifacts as typed graphs. This comes from an industrial need to have a regular and homogeneous organization where different facets of a software system may be easily separated or combined. The basic assumption of MDE is that the classical programming code is often not the right representation level for managing all these facets even if, at some point of the process, executable code will usually be generated from some abstract representation level. The AtlanMod team is progressively developing AmmA, a conceptual modeling framework. This modeling toolkit provides a high level view of MDE, implementing a number of domain specific languages like KM3 to construct metamodels, ATL to define model transformations, AMW to specify the abstract correspondences between models, or TCS to express the relations between grammars and metamodels. The AmmA toolkit implements the advanced artifacts and operations characteristics of last generation generative domain modeling facilities.

Research themes

In Model Driven Engineering (MDE), these models are considered as the unifying concept. Traditionally, models have often been used as initial design sketches mainly aimed for communicating ideas among developers. On the contrary MDE promotes models to primary and precise artifacts that drive the whole development process. The notion of model goes beyond the narrow view of semi-formal diagram thus requiring much more precise definitions and implementations that will allow partial or full automation. The MDE community has been using the concepts of terminal model, metamodel, and metametamodel for quite some time. A terminal model is a representation of a system. It captures some characteristics of the system and provides knowledge about it. In MDE we are interested in terminal models expressed in precise languages. The abstract syntax of a modeling language, when expressed as a model, is called a metamodel. A language definition is given by an abstract syntax (a metamodel), one or more concrete syntaxes, a definition of its semantics, etc. The relation between a model expressed in a language and the metamodel of this language is called conformsTo. This should not be confused with the representation relation (repOf) holding between a terminal model ant the system it represents. Metamodels are in turn expressed in a modeling language called metamodeling language. Its conceptual foundation is captured in a model called metametamodel. Terminal models, metamodels, and metametamodel form a three-level architecture with levels respectively named M1, M2, and M3. MDE promotes unification by models like object technology proposed in the eighties unification by objects [1]. The principles of MDE may be implemented in several standards. For example, OMG proposes a standard metametamodel called Meta Object Facility (MOF). An example of a metamodel in the context of OMG standards is the UML metamodel. [1] Jean Bézivin: On the unification power of models. Software and System Modeling 4(2): 171-188 (2005)

International and industrial relations

The most important projects in which the AtlanMod team is participating are:
  • TOPCASED. (See http://www.topcased.org/). TOPCASED (Toolkit in OPen source for Critical Applications and SystEm Development) is a system/software engineering workshop based on Eclipse. AtlanMod has been admitted as an official member of the TOPCASED project and ATL has been integrated in the official TOPCASED release.
  • ModelPlex. (see http://www.modelplex-ist.org/). MODELPLEX will define and develop a coherent infrastructure specifically for the application of MDE to the development and subsequent management of complex systems within a variety of industrial domains. MODELPLEX will use established MODELWARE technologies as a basis for providing an enhanced MDE approach. This project is running until 2010.
  • Usine Logicielle. (see http://www.usine-logicielle.org/).. Usine Logicielle is a project operated in the context of the French "Pôle de Compétitivité" System@tic (see http://www.systematic-paris-region.org/). Partners in this project were: CS, Dassault Aviation, EADS CCR, EADS Space Transportation, EDF, Esterel, Hispano Suiza, IFP, INRIA, LIP6, LRI, MBDA, Polytechnique, Softeam, Supelec, Thales, Trialog. This project terminated in 2008.
  • OpenEmbeDD. RNTL Platform Project. (see http://openembedd.inria.fr/). OpenEmbeDD is an Eclipse-based "Model Driven Engineering" platform dedicated to Embedded and Real-Time systems (E/RT). This project is terminating in 2008.
  • Edona (http://www.edona.org/). Gathering at the national level the totality of the large industrial actors of the field of the embedded software automobile, EDONA « Environnements de Développement Ouverts aux Normes de l’Automobile » (Environments of Development Open to the Standards of the Car) is a project of the pole of competitiveness System@tic Paris-Area. It has as an objective the construction of an open platform facilitating the realization of chains of development trade modular, interoperable, and adaptable to the various needs of the actors and trades of the car industry.
  • Lambda. Lambda is a project with Airbus as the leading partner, intended to identify the possible bottlenecks in the scaling up of MDE techniques. This project is starting in July 2008 for duration of two years. The main focus is on the building and management of large libraries of modeling artifacts.
  • Happy/Gaja. This is a project in the local cluster of competitivity "Images & Réseaux" (region Bretagne). LINA is associated to three local companies from Nantes: OBEO, Blue-XML and IM'Info. The project is focusing on using MDE to harness the evolution of software systems. This project started in late 2008 for duration of 15 months.
  • IDM++. This is a RNTL project started in January 2008 for three years with ILOG, CEA and Prima-Solutions. The goal is to advance the state of the art in MDE.
  • OPEES. OPEES is an initiative common to the three competitivity clusters: Aerospace Valley, Systematic and Minalogic. OPEES is an industrial Consortium for the definition, elaboration and deployment of an Open Platform for the Engineering of Embedded Systems.
  • Hot-Mate. This is an international collaborative project with the University of Chile at Santiago. The subject is the building of an extended environment for developing model transformation. <
Les projets les plus importants auxquels participle l'équipe AtlanMod sont les suivants:
  • TOPCASED. (cf. http://www.topcased.org/). TOPCASED (Toolkit in OPen source for Critical Applications and SystEm Development).
  • ModelPlex. (cf. http://www.modelplex-ist.org/). Projet intégré européen se terminant en 2010.
  • Usine Logicielle. (cf. http://www.usine-logicielle.org/).. Usine Logicielle est un projet du "Pôle de Compétitivité" System@tic (cf. http://www.systematic-paris-region.org/). Terminé en 2008.
  • OpenEmbeDD. RNTL Platform Project. (cf http://openembedd.inria.fr/). OpenEmbeDD is an Eclipse-based "Model Driven Engineering" platform dedicated to Embedded and Real-Time systems (E/RT). This project is terminating in 2008.
  • Edona (http://www.edona.org/). « Environnements de Développement Ouverts aux Normes de l’Automobile » est un projet du pole de compétitivité System@tic.
  • Lambda. Lambda est un projet initialisé par Airbus en juillet 2008 pour deux années.L'objectif est de construire des grandes bibliothèques d'artefacts de modélisation.
  • Happy/Gaja. Projet du pole de compétitivité "Images & Réseaux" (region Bretagne)avec trios compagnies nantaises: OBEO, Blue-XML and IM'Info.
  • IDM++. Projet RNTL de trois ans avec ILOG, CEA and Prima-Solutions pour faire advancer l'état de l'art en IdM.
  • OPEES. OPEES est une initiative commune aux trios pôles: Aerospace Valley, Systematic and Minalogic. C'est un consortium pour la définition, l'élaboration et le deploiement d'une plate-forme: Open Platform for the Engineering of Embedded Systems.
  • Hot-Mate. Projet collaborative international avec l'Université du Chili à Santiago. L'objectif est de développer un environnement de production de transformations.

Keywords: Model Driven Engineering

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