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3D requirements visualization
Keywords:
Requirements, Visualization, Requirements Visualization, 3D Graphics, Formal SpecificationsAbstract
The importance of correctly determining the requirements of a system at the very beginning of the development process it is a well known fact. Experience shows that the incorrect definition of the requirements leads to the development of deficient systems, increases the cost of its development or even causes projects to fail. Therefore it is crucial for the clients to verify that the planned system satisfies their needs. This means that the system must be described in a form that clients can clearly understand it. In this context, visualization techniques appear as a useful tool to help the users in the process of requirements understanding and validation. This work proposes the use of 3D visualization techniques to validate the requirements of a system with the user. The use of these techniques can reduce the communication gap between the clients and the developers resulting in a much more effective process of requirements validation. The approach tries to take advantage of the benefits of the 3D visualization, complementing this with the advantages of formal specifications. A tool, called ReqViz3D, that materializes the proposal was developed. This tool allows to specify the requirements in the formal language Z, define a graphical representation of them, and create a 3D animated visualization of theirs execution through which the users can validate them.
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References
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[2] P. Breuer and J. Bowen. Towards Correct Executable Semantics for Z. In Proc. 8th Z Users Workshop (ZUM), pages 185–212. Springer-Verlag, 1994.
[3] Frank Buschmann, Regine Meunier, Hans Rohnert, Peter Sommerlad, and Michael Stal. Pattern-Oriented Software Architecture: A System of Patterns. John Wiley & Sons, 1996.
[4] Stuart Card, Jock MacKinlay, and Ben Shneiderman, editors. Readings in Information Visualization: Using Vision to Think. Morgan Kaufmann Publishers, 1998.
[5] A. S. Evans. Specifying and verifying concurrent systems using Z. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 873, 1994.
[6] N. Fuchs. Specifications are (preferably) executable. IEEE Software Engineering Journal, 7(5):323–334, September 1992.
[7] J. P. Diaz Gonzalez and J. E. Urban. Language aspects of ENVISAGER. an object-oriented environment for the specification of real-time systems. Computer Languages, 16(1):19–37, 1991.
[8] D. Hazel, P. Strooper, and O. Traynor. Possum: An animator for the SUM specification language. In Proceedings: 4th Asia-Pacific Software Engineering and International Computer Science Conference, pages 42–51. IEEE Computer Society Press, 1997.
[9] Johann Hörl and Bernhard K. Aichernig. Validating voice communication requirements using lightweight formal methods. IEEE Software, 17(3):21–27, May/June 2000.
[10] ISO. Vrml97, international specification. Technical report, ISO, 1997.
[11] Daniel Jackson and Jeanette Wing. Lightweight Formal Methods. IEEE Computer, 29(4):22–23, April 1996.
[12] Cliff B. Jones. Systematic Software Development Using VDM. Prentice-Hall International, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, second edition, 1990. ISBN 0-13-880733-7.
[13] Cliff B. Jones. Formal methods light: A rigorous approach to formal methods. Computer, 29(4):20–21, April 1996.
[14] John C. Kelly, Joseph S. Sherif, and Jonathan Hops. An analysis of defect densities found during software inspections. The Journal of Systems and Software, 17(2):111–117, February 1992.
[15] Hideki Koike. The role of another spatial dimension in software visualization. ACM Transactions on Information Systems, 11(3):266–286, 1993.
[16] Kevin Lano. The B Language and Method: A guide to Practical Formal Development. Springer Verlag London Ltd., 1996.
[17] J. D. Mackinlay, G. G. Robertson, and S.K. Card. The perspective wall: Detail and context smoothly integrated. In Proceedings of ACM CHI’91, pages 173–179, 1991.
[18] Jock Mackinlay. Automating the design of graphical presentations of relational information.ACM Transactions on Graphics, 5(2):110–141, April 1986.
[19] Bertrand Meyer. On formalism in specifications. IEEE Software, 2(1):6–26, January 1995.
[20] Kevin Mullet, Diane L. Schiano, George Robertson, Joel Tesler, Barbara Tversky, Kevin Mullet, and Diane J. Schiano. 3d or not 3d: More is better or less is more? In Proceedings of ACM CHI’95 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, volume 2 of Panels, pages 174–175, 1995.
[21] M. B. Ozcan, P. W. Parry, I. C. Morrey, and J. I. Siddiqi. Visualisation of executable formal specifications for user validation. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 1385, 1998.
[22] Ben Potter, Jane Sinclair, and David Till. An Introduction to Formal Specification and Z. Prentice Hall, New York, 1991.
[23] C. Potts. Expediency and appropriate technology: An agenda for requirements engineering research in the 1990s. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 550, 1991.
[24] P. Pulli, R. Elmstrom, G. Leon, and de la Puente. IPTES - incremental prototyping technology for embedded real-time systems. Technical report, ESPRIT, 1991.
[25] George Robertson, Stuart K. Card, and Jock D. Mackinlay. Information visualization using 3D interactive animation. Communications of the ACM, 36(4):57–71, April 1993.
[26] H. Sowizral, K. Rushforth, and M. Deering. The Java 3D API Specification. Addison-Wesley, 1998.
[27] J. M. Spivey. Understanding Z. Cambridge Tracts in Theoretical Computer Science 3. Cambridge University Press, 1988. ISBN 0-521-33429-2.
[28] J. M. Spivey. The Z Notation. Prentice Hall International, UK, 2 edition, 1992.
[29] L. Sterling, P. Ciancarini, and T. Turnidge. On the Animation of Not Executable Specifications by Prolog. Int. Journal on SE and KE, 6(1):63–88, 1996.
[30] Michelle X. Zhou. Automated visual discourse synthesis: Coherence, versatility, and interactivity. In Proceedings of ACM CHI 98 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (Summary), volume 2 of Doctoral Consortium, pages 76–77, 1998.
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Published
2003-10-01
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[1]
“3D requirements visualization”, JCS&T, vol. 3, no. 02, pp. p. 45–51, Oct. 2003, Accessed: Mar. 08, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://journal.info.unlp.edu.ar/JCST/article/view/938
