BiG Project: Linguistic Foundation for Bidirectional Model Transformation

From Construction to Evolution in Software Development

Project Outline

Model transformations are a key element in OMG’s model-driven software development agenda, providing a standard technology to represent and transform software artifacts such as requirements, design models, program code, tests, configuration files, and documentation. However, after a transformation is applied, the source and the target models usually co-exist and evolve independently. How to propagate modifications correctly across models in different formats and guarantee system consistency remains an open problem.

The aim of this project is to address this problem by establishing a method to secure credibility and improve the productivity of software. Specifically, the establishment of a linguistic framework for bidirectional model transformations. The framework includes (1) a new model transformation language with clear bidirectional semantics, being equipped with a powerful bi-directionality inference mechanism and a virtual machine on which bidirectional model transformation can be efficiently realized; (2) an environment for supporting programming, debugging and maintaining bidirectional model transformations; and (3) a set of application examples and domain-specific libraries that can be used in practice. Also, a method that applies bidirectional model transformations to the software development process will be devised, and practical software tools developed.

Progress in the project will lead to a new standard for bidirectional model transformations, a novel formal method for evolutionary software development, and a reliable tool for artifact synchronization. We believe that this project will make a significant contribution to software engineering.

Major partner organizations and members

National Institute of Informatics : Zhenjiang Hu(leader), Soichiro Hidaka, Hiroyuki Kato
The University of Electro-Communications: Keisuke Nakano
Shibaura Institute of Technology: Isao Sasano
Peking University : Hong Mei, Haiyan Zhao, Yingfei Xiong
Shanghai Jiao Tong University: Jianjun Zhao
The University of Electro-Communications: Keisuke Nakano
Oxford University: Jeremy Gibbons
Open University: Yijun Yu

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