Interfacing of Object Analysis and Design Methods with the Method for Interoperable Information Systems Design

Abstract

In our days numerous object analysis and design methods appeared. These methods provide users with easy to understand graphical notations for expressing a wide variety of concepts central to the presentation of software requirements. While such techniques are recognized as useful tools, the graphical notations used with these methods are often ambiguous, resulting in diagrams that are easily misinterpreted. The disadvantage of these methods also is a weak support of reusability. On the other hand, the Synthesismethod being developed [3, 1] is focused on the interoperable information system design basing on the reuse the pre-existing information resources (databases, legacy systems, program packages, etc.). The Synthesis method is a top-down, bottom-up iterative process of analysis, design and development. To take an advantage of the existing Object Analysis and Design OAD methods we embed the Synthesis method into one of such methods so that the phases of requirement planning and domain analysis could be developed using the chosen method technique. After that the Synthesis method continues a design with the reuse of pre-existing resources. Therefore a problem of interfacing of an OAD method and the Synthesis method arises. In this paper we present the mapping of the graphical notation of a specific OAD method (OMT) to the Synthesis entities. In order to prevent ambiguities in the graphical notation in OMT we impose some restrictions on OMT using. Also we augment OMT with the ontological specifications needed to resolve contextual differences between application and pre-existing information resources as well as with predicative specifications of object behaviors.