Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Visualisation of executable formal specifications for user validation

  • Selected Papers
  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Book cover Services and Visualization Towards User-Friendly Design

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 1385))

Abstract

This paper reports on research work to facilitate the user validation process in an application-orientated fashion based on executable formal specifications. It is part of an ongoing effort to move towards quality requirements via graphical visualisations of formal specifications. It builds upon previous work that supports the animation of Z specifications in a LISP-based environment called ZAL (Z Animation in LISP). In addition, it embodies a visualisation system called ViZ (Visualisation in Z) which enables the comprehension, clarification and validation of executable formal specification notations. Technology provided by ViZ allows software developers to choose an appropriate representation of objects used in an executable formal specification and create dynamic and/or static animations of these objects in an interactive and iterative fashion. ViZ provides a generic visualisation model to capture the process of visualising static and dynamic behaviour of a ZAL specification. This paper outlines our approach, details ViZ and illustrates its application in a real-world setting.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. N. E. Fuchs, 'specifications are (preferably) executable', Software Engineering Journal, 323–334, September, (1992).

    Google Scholar 

  2. Jeff Kramer, Keng Ng, ‘Animation of Requirements Specifications', Software-Practice and Experience, 18, (8), 749–774, (1988).

    Google Scholar 

  3. B.A. Myers, R. Chandhok, ‘A. Sareen Automatic Data Visualisation For Novice Pascal Programmers', IEEE Workshop on Visual Languages, p192–198, IEEE Computer Society Press, October 10–12, Pittsburgh, PA, USA 1988.

    Google Scholar 

  4. P. W. Parry, M. B. Ozcan and J. Siddiqi, “The Application of Visualisation to Requirements Engineering”, Proc.8th International Conference on Software Engineering and Its Applications, Paris, France, 699–710, (1995).

    Google Scholar 

  5. C.Potts, et. al., ‘Inquiry-based Requirements Analyses', IEEE Software, 11, (2), 21–32, (1994).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. A. J. van Schouwen, ‘The-7 Requirements Model: Re-examination for Real Time Systems and an Application to Monitoring Systems', Technical Report 90-276, Queens University, Kingston, Ontario K7L 3N6, (1991).

    Google Scholar 

  7. J. Siddiqi, I. Morrey, C. Roast and M. B. Ozcan, ‘Towards Quality Requirements via Animated Formal Specifications', Annals of Software Engineering, 3, 131–155, (1997).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. A. Tsalgatidou, ‘Modelling and Animating Information Systems Dynamics', Information Processing Letters, No 36, 123–127, (1990).

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Computing and Management Sciences, Computing Research Centre, Sheffield Hallam University, City Campus, SI, 1WB, Sheffield, UK

    M. B. özcan, P. W. Parry, I. C. Morrey & J. I. Siddiqi

Authors
  1. M. B. özcan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. P. W. Parry
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. I. C. Morrey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. J. I. Siddiqi
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Editor information

Tiziana Margaria Bernhard Steffen Roland Rückert Joachim Posegga

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1998 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this paper

Cite this paper

özcan, M.B., Parry, P.W., Morrey, I.C., Siddiqi, J.I. (1998). Visualisation of executable formal specifications for user validation. In: Margaria, T., Steffen, B., Rückert, R., Posegga, J. (eds) Services and Visualization Towards User-Friendly Design. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 1385. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0053503

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0053503

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-64367-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-69760-2

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation