Investigating Software Testing from the Perspective of Complex Networks Theory

• Grant number: 13/01084-3
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Effective date (Start): November 01, 2013
• Effective date (End): May 01, 2017
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Computer Science - Computing Methodologies and Techniques
• Principal Investigator: Adenilso da Silva Simão
• Grantee: Faimison Rodrigues Porto
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Matemáticas e de Computação (ICMC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated scholarship(s): 16/09315-2 - Instance filtering on Cross-project defect prediction with meta-learning, BE.EP.DR

Abstract

Software testing is considered one of the most important activities in the process of building a software since it adds more quality to the product generated. Advances on software testing research aim to develop concepts, methods and techniques that reduce the costs of implementation and generation of the test suite, and improve its efficiency in identifying defects. This suite is constructed from informations about the behavior/structure of the software, which can be extracted in different ways. The use of graph structures, for example, allows an accurate representation of software behavior, while also allowing a more incisive investigation about their properties. Accordingly, recent developments in the theory of complex networks can be applied in the study of softwares from the viewpoint of testing. The theory of complex networks covers concepts of graph theory and statistical mechanisms that can reveal important information about the system studied. Recently, studies about the structure that governs the relationship between components of a software noticed the existence of common properties of so-called complex systems. The properties inherent to such systems are commonly found in real-world systems, which triggered the study of real systems in different contexts and applications. Therefore, this project proposes the investigation of methods that can improve aspects of software testing from concepts of the theory of complex networks.

Academic Publications

(References retrieved automatically from State of São Paulo Research Institutions)

PORTO, Faimison Rodrigues. Cross-project defect prediction with meta-Learning. 2017. Doctoral Thesis - Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Ciências Matemáticas e de Computação (ICMC/SB) São Carlos.