Process to establishment and evaluation of service-oriented reference architectures

• Grant number: 09/11135-9
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: May 01, 2010
• End date: April 30, 2012
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Computer Science - Computing Methodologies and Techniques
• Principal Investigator: Jose Carlos Maldonado
• Grantee: Jose Carlos Maldonado
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Matemáticas e de Computação (ICMC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Ellen Francine Barbosa ; Jose Carlos Maldonado

Abstract

Software architectures play a major role in determining system quality. In particular, reference architectures can be considered an element that aggregates knowledge of a specific domain, promoting the reuse of this knowledge and supporting the software system development. However, processes to establish and evaluate reference architectures are not completely consolidated yet. Thus, based on the previous experience conducted in the proponent's PhD project that established reference architectures for Software Engineering domain, a process, named ProSA-RA, was established. This process systematizes the steps to build reference architectures, especially those based on aspects (from Aspect-Oriented Programming). Besides that, in spite of the evidence of Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA), there is a lack of process to establish and evaluate service-oriented reference architectures, i.e. architectures that are basis to development of service-oriented systems. Thus, the main objective of this project is to evolve and refine ProSA-RA for the establishment of service-oriented reference architecture. Furthermore, using this process, we intend to build a service-oriented reference architecture for testing tools. This project aims also at establishing a quality evaluation method of service-oriented reference architectures as part of ProSA-RA. This method will be applied in the evaluation of the previously proposed service-oriented reference architecture. In order to evaluate the results, it will be conducted an analysis based on data collection techniques and qualitative analysis. As result of this project, we intend to contribute to Software Engineering area, in particular, Software Architecture area, becoming available a process to establish and evaluate service-oriented reference architectures, aiming at promoting the use of these architectures in the software system development. (AU)