Intelligent Agent Based Mapping of Software Requirement Specification to Design Model

Emdad Khan, Mohammed Alawairdhi

College of Computer and Information Sciences, Al-Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, KSA.

DOI: 10.4236/jsea.2013.612075                

Abstract

Automatically mapping a requirement specification to design model in Software Engineering is an open complex problem. Existing methods use a complex manual process that use the knowledge from the requirement specification/modeling and the design, and try to find a good match between them. The key task done by designers is to convert a natural language based requirement specification (or corresponding UML based representation) into a predominantly computer language based design model—thus the process is very complex as there is a very large gap between our natural language and computer language. Moreover, this is not just a simple language conversion, but rather a complex knowledge conversion that can lead to meaningful design implementation. In this paper, we describe an automated method to map Requirement Model to Design Model and thus automate/partially automate the Structured Design (SD) process. We believe, this is the first logical step in mapping a more complex requirement specification to design model. We call it IRTDM (Intelligent Agent based requirement model to design model mapping). The main theme of IRTDM is to use some AI (Artificial Intelligence) based algorithms, semantic representation using Ontology or Predicate Logic, design structures using some well known design framework and Machine Learning algorithms for learning over time. Semantics help convert natural language based requirement specification (and associated UML representation) into high level design model followed by mapping to design structures. AI method can also be used to convert high level design structures into lower level design which then can be refined further by some manual and/or semi automated process. We emphasize that automation is one of the key ways to minimize the software cost, and is very important for all, especially, for the “Design for the Bottom 90% People” or BOP (Base of the Pyramid People).

Keywords

Software Engineering; Artificial Intelligence; Ontology; Intelligent Agent; Requirements Specification; Requirements Modeling; Design Modeling; Semantics; Natural Language Understanding; Machine Learning; Universal Modeling Language (UML); ICT (Information and Communication Technology and BOP (Base of the Pyramid People)

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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