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Applying UML/MARTE on industrial projects: challenges, experiences, and guidelines

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Abstract

Modeling and Analysis of Real-Time and Embedded Systems (MARTE) is a Unified Modeling Language (UML) profile, which has been developed to model concepts specific to Real-Time and Embedded Systems (RTES). In the last 5 years, we have applied UML/MARTE to three distinct industrial problems in three industry sectors: architecture modeling and configuration of large-scale and highly configurable integrated control systems, model-based robustness testing of communication-intensive systems, and model-based environment simulator generation of large-scale RTES for testing. In this paper, we report on our experience of solving these problems by applying UML/MARTE on four industrial case studies. We highlight the challenges we faced with respect to the industrial adoption of MARTE. Based on our combined experience, we derive a framework to guide practitioners for future applications of UML/MARTE in an industrial context. The framework provides a set of detailed guidelines that help reduce the gap between the modeling notations and real-world industrial application needs.

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Acknowledgments

We are thankful to our industry partners from FMC Technologies, Cisco Systems, Tomra, and Westerngeco, all from Norway for their technical support. Muhammad Zohaib Iqbal was partly supported by ICT R&D Fund, Pakistan (ICTRDF/MBTToolset/2013) and by National Research Fund, Luxembourg (FNR/P10/03). Lionel Briand was supported by the National Research Fund, Luxembourg (FNR/P10/03).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Software Quality Engineering and Testing Laboratory (QUEST), National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences (FAST-NU), Islamabad, Pakistan

    Muhammad Zohaib Iqbal

  2. Certus Center for V & V, Simula Research Laboratory, P.O. Box 134, Lysaker, Norway

    Shaukat Ali & Tao Yue

  3. Software Verification and Validation Lab, SnT Centre, University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg, Luxembourg

    Muhammad Zohaib Iqbal & Lionel Briand

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  1. Muhammad Zohaib Iqbal
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  2. Shaukat Ali
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  3. Tao Yue
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  4. Lionel Briand
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Correspondence to Muhammad Zohaib Iqbal.

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Communicated by Dr. Jürgen Kazmeier.

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Iqbal, M.Z., Ali, S., Yue, T. et al. Applying UML/MARTE on industrial projects: challenges, experiences, and guidelines. Softw Syst Model 14, 1367–1385 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10270-014-0405-5

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