Application Frameworks for Collaborative Learning. We will pioneer the use of key software engineering techniques - design patterns and application frameworks - to reduce the cost and improve the quality of online collaborative learning activities. For the first time, we will combine software engineering and educational knowledge to use design patterns to describe best practice for these activities in engineering terms; we will use application frameworks to aggregate these patterns and implement ....Application Frameworks for Collaborative Learning. We will pioneer the use of key software engineering techniques - design patterns and application frameworks - to reduce the cost and improve the quality of online collaborative learning activities. For the first time, we will combine software engineering and educational knowledge to use design patterns to describe best practice for these activities in engineering terms; we will use application frameworks to aggregate these patterns and implement them as a readily usable tool. The result will be a powerful new generation of stable collaborative eLearning tools with enhanced scalability, interoperability and adaptability.Read moreRead less
Development of a Multi Threat Risk Assessment Model for Critical Infrastructure Using Scripted Agent Computer Technology. Current risk assessment paradigms are not suited to the control of catastrophic events such as terrorism. An advanced approach to risk assessment will be developed in this project for rare high impact events such as bomb blasts, where critical infrastructure is threatened. A new software platform based on scripted agent modelling will be constructed that will allow for state ....Development of a Multi Threat Risk Assessment Model for Critical Infrastructure Using Scripted Agent Computer Technology. Current risk assessment paradigms are not suited to the control of catastrophic events such as terrorism. An advanced approach to risk assessment will be developed in this project for rare high impact events such as bomb blasts, where critical infrastructure is threatened. A new software platform based on scripted agent modelling will be constructed that will allow for state of the art models to be used as agents providing a dynamic risk evaluation and necessary information for actions to infrastructure owners and emergency responders as a threat develops. Both the developed scripted agent and the risk assessment technologies can be applied to other technologies and complex risks, such as waste disposal and biotechnology.Read moreRead less
Development of a Multi Threat Risk Assessment Model for Critical Infrastructure Using Scripted Agent Computer Technology. The project will develop a distributed risk network capable of real time assessment of multiple threats to critical infrastructure, which will guide decision making on the appropriate response as the nature of the threat changes. This will assist all stakeholders and allow an integrated response across industry and government agencies. The developed technology will find read ....Development of a Multi Threat Risk Assessment Model for Critical Infrastructure Using Scripted Agent Computer Technology. The project will develop a distributed risk network capable of real time assessment of multiple threats to critical infrastructure, which will guide decision making on the appropriate response as the nature of the threat changes. This will assist all stakeholders and allow an integrated response across industry and government agencies. The developed technology will find ready application in other areas where integration of science and technology is required to solve complex problems. For example, risk network technology has application to natural hazards, waste disposal and financial markets while the scripted agent has application to communication technologies and sensor networks.Read moreRead less
Applying Method Engineering Techniques to the Construction of Agile Methodologies. Agile approaches to software development provide flexibility within the method but provide no assistance for improving the selected method. This second kind of flexibility is important to permit organizations to improve with time. To accomplish such improvement, a method engineering approach is proposed for agile method construction using the OPEN Process Framework, which consists of a metamodel and a collection ....Applying Method Engineering Techniques to the Construction of Agile Methodologies. Agile approaches to software development provide flexibility within the method but provide no assistance for improving the selected method. This second kind of flexibility is important to permit organizations to improve with time. To accomplish such improvement, a method engineering approach is proposed for agile method construction using the OPEN Process Framework, which consists of a metamodel and a collection of method components, stored in a repository. In collaboration with Eagle Datamation International, we will devise methods of constructing an agile method tailored to their business needs and then evaluate it in practice, monitoring as the method evolves and improves.Read moreRead less
Metamodel-based Methodology for Developing Agent-Oriented Systems. In the context of building high quality software, agent technology offers substantial promise. However, its widespread deployment by industry is hampered by the lack of commercially acceptable development methodologies. Here, we expand a metamodel-based process framework (the OPEN Process Framework) to support agent-oriented (AO) software development that will eventually both form a de facto standard for AO methodologies and be ....Metamodel-based Methodology for Developing Agent-Oriented Systems. In the context of building high quality software, agent technology offers substantial promise. However, its widespread deployment by industry is hampered by the lack of commercially acceptable development methodologies. Here, we expand a metamodel-based process framework (the OPEN Process Framework) to support agent-oriented (AO) software development that will eventually both form a de facto standard for AO methodologies and be acceptable for commercial software application development. To create this extension, significant research in AO software engineering is required. Our basis will be the OPF plus elements from existing AO methodologies, notably Tropos and Gaia, whose authors will collaborate actively.Read moreRead less
Ontology-based agent-oriented development methodologies. Establishing an industry strength unified agent-oriented methodology which focuses on interoperability and reusability will create stronger commitment to the new technology and stability in the commercial sector in Australia. Our methodology will create significant potential for Australian software companies, due to the added productivity and long term customer satisfaction through reusability, interoperability and pay-off of the developed ....Ontology-based agent-oriented development methodologies. Establishing an industry strength unified agent-oriented methodology which focuses on interoperability and reusability will create stronger commitment to the new technology and stability in the commercial sector in Australia. Our methodology will create significant potential for Australian software companies, due to the added productivity and long term customer satisfaction through reusability, interoperability and pay-off of the developed systems. This not only brings profits to Australian companies through the exploitation of this frontier technology, but also enhances the standard of living through increased satisfaction of the Australian public in their increasing use of software as they interact with today's computer-controlled world.Read moreRead less
Building Peer-to-Peer Middleware Infrastructure with Web Services. Peer-to-Peer (P2P) computing is a framework defining the interactions between systems acting as both clients and servers. Web services technology is an evolving set of Web standards based on eXtensible Markup Language (XML), and is considered as the newest approach to distributed computing. In this project, we aim to build a new type of P2P architectural framework that is truly interoperable and distributed, being platform and la ....Building Peer-to-Peer Middleware Infrastructure with Web Services. Peer-to-Peer (P2P) computing is a framework defining the interactions between systems acting as both clients and servers. Web services technology is an evolving set of Web standards based on eXtensible Markup Language (XML), and is considered as the newest approach to distributed computing. In this project, we aim to build a new type of P2P architectural framework that is truly interoperable and distributed, being platform and language independent in an Internet-wide context. Using Web services and message queuing, this project also aims to develop a robust middleware infrastructure consisting of a set of tools and programming libraries to ease the development of verifiable P2P applications on heterogeneous platforms.Read moreRead less