Project Keywords: Object Modeling, Software Patterns, Ontology, Semantic Web, Intelligent Information Integration,
Context-Awareness

Project Team Members:
Faculty: Dr. Seok-Won Lee (PI)
Students: Deepak Yavagal (MS), Robin Gandhi (PhD), Siddharth Wagle (MS)

Project Description: In designing and implementing any “intelligent” software application by using object-oriented technologies, it is essential to address the following three characteristics: 1) object modeling in its representation, 2) usage of objects in its application model, and 3) ability to aggregate evidence that supports the analysis of objects’ behaviors (through the associated properties and relationships between objects). The harmonization of these characteristics often determines the level of intelligence of the applications. When a software computing paradigm converges toward domain-independent interdisciplinary research, the objects (or models) used in each application model should be interoperable and reusable. In this research project, we build such an interoperable and reusable object computing environment called Generic Object Model (GenOM).

GenOM inherits the theoretical foundation of frame representation in artificial intelligence and expands its architecture so that its hierarchical object model can be easily transformable and adaptable to other software design models in various domain applications by building domain-specific application layers on the GenOM foundation layer, while GenOM itself serves as an integrated environment to create, edit, browse, search and maintain objects.

An embedded inference mechanism in GenOM can generate rules that describe objects and their structures in relating with other objects. Also, GenOM provides ways for mapping, merging and integrating domain-specific objects and thus serves as a knowledge base for building object-oriented software applications. A long term goal of GenOM is to assist users to build and configure a software application automatically based on their needs and purposes.

We have identified challenging applications of GenOM in the following areas: unified access control model in ubiquitous/pervasive computing environment, UML model, software requirements quality assurance model, business workflow process model, intelligent web services, semantic web, knowledge model in bridging computer vision and virtual reality applications, and EDI object mapping and mediation.

GenOM Architecture

Selected Documents/Publications:

TR-NiSE-05-05,
Lee, S.W. and Yavagal, D. "GenOM User's Guide V2.0". 2005

Yavagal, D.S., Lee, S.W., Ahn, G. and Gandhi, R.A. "Common Criteria Requirements Modeling and its Uses for Quality of Information Assurance (QoIA)", To appear in Proceedings of the 43rd Annual ACM Southeast Conference (ACMSE '05), March 18-20, Kennesaw State Univ. Kennesaw, Georgia. 2005.

McNally, R., Lee, S.W. and Xiang, W-N. Abstract: “An Ontology-based Approach for Representing and Visualizing Interdependencies across Critical Infrastructures” In Proceedings of the 9th International Computers in Urban Planning and Urban Management Conference (CUPUM ’05), June 29 – July 1. University College London.

McNally, R., Lee, S.W., Yavagal, D.S. and Xiang, W-N. “An Ontology-driven Approach to Representing and Visualizing Critical Infrastructure Interdependencies”, In Proceedings of the Auto-Carto 05, A CaGIS Research Symposium, March 18-23, Las Vegas. The Cartography and Geographic Information Society (CaGIS).  2005. 

McNally, R., Lee, S.W., Yavagal, D.S. and Xiang, W-N. Abstract: “An Object-Oriented Method For Representing And Visualizing Interdependencies Across Critical Infrastructure Layers”, Abstract: The 2005 Meeting of The Association of American Geographers (AAG ‘05), 101st AAG Annual Meeting, April 5-9, Denver, Colorado. 2005.

Lee, S.W., Yavagal, D.: GenOM User’s Guide. Technical Report, Dept. of Software and Information Systems, UNC Charlotte. 2004