Experience Report: How Do Metamorphic Relations Perform in Geographic Information Systems Testing

Abstract

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) is a foundational application for different information systems, such as navigation system and global position system. However, due to the complexity of the system and algorithms, traditional testing methodologies confronted with the test oracle problem. Metamorphic testing (MT) can help resolve the problem by comparing metamorphic relations (MR) among multiple inputs and outputs, which have applied in many different domains. In this paper, we try to apply MT in GIS testing. We propose a semi-automated MT approach for GIS testing. To illustrate the effectiveness of the approach, we conduct a case study with a typical component of GIS: superficial area calculation program. In the empirical study, we construct six kinds of MRs with different properties and characters of the program or its algorithm. Our method could detect the target faults effectively without generating test oracles manually.