Workshop on Mathematical Models for Model-Driven Engineering

TripleMDE at MoDELS 2015 on 29 September 2015 in Ottawa

Zinovy Diskin • Rick Salay • Bernhard Schätz • Vadim Zaytsev

(more details available here)

Software engineering (SE) strives to learn from matured engineering disciplines, such as mechanical and electrical engineering (below physical engineering, PE), and MDE is an essential step in this direction. Mathematical models are fundamental for PE, but should it be so for SE? What are similarities and differences in the development and use of mathematical models in SE vs. PE? How can SE and MDE benefit from a better understanding of these similarities and differences? These questions become even more challenging when we recognize that mathematical modelling and formalization are not identical (although closely related), and the abundance of formal models in SE may actually hide the lack of mathematical models with all its negative (but perhaps negligible?) consequences.

Such questions are seldom addressed in the MDE literature, but we believe they deserve special attention. The MMMDE Workshop aims at gathering together MDE experts who are concerned with developing mathematical foundations for MDE, understanding the role of mathematical models in engineering in general and SE in particular, and with relating these general thoughts to practical MDE problems. We want to “test the waters”, and try to solidify broadly formulated concerns outlined above into several well-focused research questions or directions.