Business Systems and Knowledge Modelling Lab

Research Project

Agent-Oriented Software Engineering

Research Goal
Software engineering can be defined as a layered technology that encompasses a definition phase, a development phase, and a maintenance phase. The development phase involves analysis, design, implementation and testing phases respectively. It has evolved in the last two decades through three software engineering methodologies, namely, structured design or data flow methodology, object-oriented methodology including design patterns (and UML) and agent methodology.

This project involves among other aspects design of agent-based Unified Problem Modelling Language (UPML) in contrast to UML. It defines a agent-based analysis and design methodology which includes integration with properties associated with object-orientedness.

Team Members
Rajiv Khosla, Tharam Dillon, Qiubang Li

Publications
[1] R. Khosla and Q. Li, Unified Problem Modelling Language for Knowledge Engineering of Complex Systems – Computational Level, to appear International Journal of Soft Computing, Springer-Verlag, 2004

[2] R. Khosla and T. Dillon, 'Integration of Task Structure Level Architecture with OO Technology', in Seventh International Conference on Software Engineering and Knowledge Engineering (SEKE'95), Maryland, USA, June, 1995. Published under the section Advances in O-O Technology, pp. 95-7.

[3] R. Khosla and T. Dillon , 'Application of Object-Oriented Technology in a Terminal Power Station', in Twelfth International Conference on Object-Oriented Languages and Systems (TOOLS'93) , Melbourne, Australia, Dec. 1993, pp. 21-35.

[4] R. Khosla and T. Dillon , 'Dynamic Analysis of a Real Time Object Oriented Integrated Symbolic-Connectionist System using State Controlled Petri Nets', in Fifth IEEE Intelligent Systems Applications Conference , Avignon, France, Sept. 1994, pp.495-502. (Review of this paper has appeared in IEEE Expert magazine, 1995).

[5] R. Khosla and T. Dillon, 'An Object-Oriented Analysis and Design of an Alarm
Processing System using a Symbolic-Connectionist Model', in Third IEEE International Symposium on Electricity Distribution and Energy Management , Singapore, Oct. 1993., pp. 447-53.

[6] R. Khosla and T. Dillon, ' Problem Solving, Expert Systems, Neural Networks, and Object-Orientation’, in Seventh Artificial Intelligence Technology Transfer Conference in Industry and Business, October, 1994, Monterrey, Mexico, pp.66-74