CAREER: Foundational Principles to Support Evolution in Domain-Specific Modeling

尽管编程语言和运行时平台取得了进步，但大多数软件都是在相对于应用程序域的问题空间中的概念和关注点的低抽象级别上开发的。领域特定建模(DSM)是一种设计方法，它使用元模型来定义建模语言，以一种与特定解决方案空间的细节分离的方式捕获问题空间的基本特征。然而，当前的DSM实践缺乏基本概念来支持软件模型驱动的演化所需的广泛任务。提出的研究将通过研究模型转换和程序转换的协同作用来扩展DSM的能力，以此来支持高层模型中反映的软件构件的必要演化。具体的研究主题包括模型驱动的程序转换、将遗留源代码反向工程到特定于领域的模型、支持专注于可视化建模的新型版本控制工具的模型差异算法，以及在建模工具内的编辑更改中分析用户意图的技术。拟议的研究议程与教育活动相结合，包括本科生辅导和研究生教育，重点是K-12外联活动。

Despite advances in programming languages and runtime platforms, most software is developed at a low-level of abstraction relative to the concepts and concerns within the problem space of an application domain. Domain-Specific Modeling (DSM) is a design approach that uses a metamodel to define a modeling language capturing the essential characteristics of a problem space in a manner that is decoupled from the details of a specific solution space. However, the current DSM practice lacks fundamental concepts to support a broad range of tasks needed for model-driven evolution of software. The proposed research will extend the capabilities of DSM by investigating the synergy of model transformation and program transformation as methods to support the necessary evolution of software artifacts as reflected by changes in high-level models. Specific topics of investigation include model-driven program transformation, reverse engineering of legacy source code into domain-specific models, model difference algorithms that support a new class of version control tools focused on visual modeling concerns, and a technique to analyze a user's intention among edit changes within a modeling tool. The proposed research agenda is integrated with educational activities, including undergraduate mentoring and graduate education, with an emphasis on K-12 outreach activities.