About

We invite proposals for tutorials to be held at MODELS 2022 as part of its satellite events from October 23 to 28, 2022. Tutorials provide intensive overviews on topics in the area of model-based software and systems engineering ranging from modeling methodologies and research methods through new modeling tools and technologies to thoughts on the past, current, and future development of the modeling discipline. For this year’s edition, the conference has the special theme “Modeling for social good” #MDE4SG. Thus, we especially encourage tutorials where model-based engineering intersects with research and applications on, not exclusively, socio-technical systems, tools with social impact, integrating human values, data science, artificial intelligence, digital twins, Industry/Society 5.0, and intelligent systems in general.

Audience

Tutorials target an audience of practitioners, researchers (academic and industrial), students, and developers familiar with, and already working with, modeling techniques. The target audience typically has a strong interest in Model-Driven Engineering (MDE), including work on improving and evolving modeling languages (such as UML or DSLs), developing sophisticated MDE tool support, and using MDE to develop / test / reverse / maintain complex systems. Potential attendees may also be interested in how modeling has been applied effectively in specialized domains (e.g., in the automotive industry), and in learning about successful uses of MDE methods in real-world applications.

Topics

The following themes are examples of what is considered relevant for tutorials:

• Modeling techniques for specific domains (e.g., automobile, cyber-physical and hybrid systems, Industry 4.0, Internet of Things …)
• Modeling methodologies and model-oriented processes (e.g., for agile modeling or modeling at scale)
• AI in modeling (including search*based approaches, machine learning, planning, or flexible modeling)
• Presentation of new tools or new versions of old tools (e.g., modeling tools, language workbenches, model transformation languages, model verification tools, model execution tools)
• Dissemination of project results from industry-related projects
• Teaching of model-driven software development
• Research methods in MD* (Model-Driven Development (MDD), Model Driven Engineering (MDE), Model Driven Software Development (MDSD), etc.)
• Modeling for re-engineering and legacy evolution
• Empirical studies in the context of modeling
• User experience in model-based software engineering
• Practical experiences of general interest
• General topics of interest to young researchers, like presentation skills or research methodologies

Furthermore, we also welcome and encourage submissions related to this year’s theme: Modeling for social good.

Tutorials are intended to provide independent instructions on a topic of relevance to the audience described above. Therefore, no sales-oriented presentations will be accepted. Tutorials relating to commercial tools or involving the use of commercial tools may be accepted, but will be subject to closer scrutiny, including possible approval of presentation slides. Potential presenters should keep in mind that there may be quite a varied audience, including novice graduate students, seasoned practitioners, and specialized researchers. Tutorial speakers should be prepared to cope with this diversity.

Proposal Guidelines

Proposal Contents

All submissions must be in English and adhere to the ACM formatting instructions. Formatting instructions are available here for both LaTeX and Word users. LaTeX users must use the provided acmart.cls and ACM-Reference-Format.bst without modification, enable the conference format in the preamble of the document (i.e., \documentclass[sigconf,review]{acmart}), and use the ACM reference format for the bibliography (i.e., \bibliographystyle{ACM-Reference-Format}). The review option adds line numbers, thereby allowing referees to refer to specific lines in their comments.

Word users make sure you are using Times New Roman on the body of your text, author information, and section titles; and using Helvetica on the paper title.

The submission must include the following information in the indicated order:

• Title
• Presenters: Name, affiliation, contact information, and short bio
• Authors of the proposal or tutorial material, who are not going to be presenting, may be listed, but must be listed last with a footnote “Author only; will not be presenting”
• Abstract (maximum of 200 words). If accepted, the abstract will be used to advertise the tutorial. Thus, the abstract should clearly highlight the goals of the tutorial and the skills that participants will acquire
• Keywords (at least 5 keywords)
• Proposed length (suggestion: up to 1.5-2 hours)
• Level of the tutorial: beginner/introduction or advanced
• Target audience and any prerequisite background required by attendees to be able to follow the tutorial (beyond average modeling skills)
• Description of the tutorial and intended outline (maximum of 4 pages)
• Novelty of the tutorial
• List offerings of similar tutorials at previous editions of the MODELS conference or other conferences, and discuss the differences with respect to the current proposal
• Required infrastructure: Explicitly specify the adaptations and actions you intend to do in order to make the tutorial suitable for a virtual environment
• Sample slides (minimum of 6 slides, maximum of 25 slides)
• Supplementary material (optional)
• COVID-related measures. How do you plan to react should the conference go virtual once again?
  • Would you like to organize the tutorial despite the virtual format? Does your tutorial require an in-person format?
  • What changes would a switch to a virtual format necessitate?
  • What is the latest you can safely convert your tutorial to a virtual (or hybrid) setting?

Proposals must be submitted electronically in PDF format through the MODELS 2022 Tutorials EasyChair submission page.

Review Process

The Tutorials Selection Committee will review each submitted proposal to ensure high quality, and select tutorials based on their anticipated benefit for prospective participants and their fit within the tutorial program as a whole. Factors to be considered also include: relevance, timeliness, importance, and audience appeal; effectiveness of teaching methods; and past experience and qualifications of the instructors. The goal will be to provide a diverse set of tutorials that attracts a high level of interest among broad segments of the MODELS participants.

Note that, as per ACM policy, tutorials are not included in the proceedings of the conference companion.

Compensation

As in previous years, participants will pay a single satellite fee, which will cover both tutorials and workshops. This permits unifying the treatment of workshops and tutorials, and it makes tutorials more attractive to attendees. Under this scheme, tutorial presenters will not receive monetary compensation, and will have to pay their own registration to the satellite events. By submitting a tutorial proposal, the presenter accepts that there will be no compensation for giving the tutorial if accepted and that the registration fees for the instructors have to be funded by the instructors themselves. The benefit to the presenter is the opportunity to extend their sphere of influence to the MODELS community.

[T1] Agile, Web-Centric, Model-Driven Development of Real Systems Using Umple

Organizers: Timothy Lethbridge

In this tutorial, participants will learn how to use some of the new and advanced features of Umple to build software, these include reusing model libraries that are built in to Umple or are on the web, linking model-generated code with traditional code libraries, building product lines with traits and mixsets, and doing all of the above in the context of open-source tool chains, with tools such as Git, Gradle and Docker. We will present several case studies, including the development of Umple itself and domain-specific models, such as a metamodel for negotiation tools. The tutorial will encourage hands-on development: Attendees will be able to create models on the web and on the command line.

Speaker/s Biography:

Timothy Lethbridge is a professor of software engineering at the University of Ottawa, where he has taught for 30 years. His research focuses on model-oriented programming, code generation, the Umple technology, software engineering education, and human factors in software engineering. He is a senior member of the IEEE and ACM, and a Fellow of the Canadian Information Processing Society.

[T2] Conceptual models

Organizers: Robert Andrei Buchmann, Wilfrid Utz, and Patrik Burzynski

The research field of conceptual modelling identifies models as artefacts describing a real or proposed system on an abstraction level that is adequate for a given purpose. This tutorial focuses on the Bee-Up multi-language modeling environment and key features that increase the value of models beyond their basic function (as diagrammatic documentation/ communication support). Bee-Up supports modeling with several established languages - BPMN, EPC, ER, UML, Petri Nets - enriched with semantic links between various model types. The goal of the tutorial is to highlight that Bee-Up is not limited to diagramming with established languages, but also facilitates model-value through model analysis, transformation, execution, and integration with other systems. A selection of these will be demonstrated during the tutorial. Theoretical aspects of what is under the hood of Bee-Up model processing capabilities will also be discussed emphasizing on the metamodeling approach selected for realization. Bee-Up is an educational tool available at https://bee-up.omilab.org.

Speaker/s Biography:

Robert Andrei Buchmann occupies a Professor position at Babeș-Bolyai University, Romania. He is the Scientific Director of the Business Informatics Research Center, where his team is investigating opportunities for interplay between Semantic Technology, Enterprise Modelling, and Requirements Engineering. He has worked on numerous research projects involving these topics, often employing conceptual modeling and the Bee-Up tool as enablers. During 2012-2015, he occupied a postdoctoral research position at the University of Vienna, specializing in the framework of Agile Modelling Method Engineering; based on this framework, he’s been involved in various didactic and research collaborations between Babeș- Bolyai University, University of Vienna and OMiLAB, including the tutorial hereby proposed.

Wilfrid Utz received his PhD from the University of Vienna, Research Group Knowledge Engineering in the field of metamodel design and conceptual structures. He has been involved in international research and innovation projects and gained experience in the field of modeling method conceptualization, meta-model design, and implementation of modeling tools using ADOxx in various application domains. His research and professional interest relate to the knowledge representation using metamodeling concepts and platforms.

Patrik Burzynski is a computer scientist, currently working as part of the OMiLAB team, developing applications using cloud services. His interests include programming and meta-modeling. During his study of Business Informatics at the University of Vienna he was involved in several international research projects (e.g., plugIT, ComVantage). After finishing his master’s degree (Dipl.-Ing.) he worked at the University of Vienna for the research group Knowledge Engineering as a university assistant, teaching courses on Modelling and Meta-Modelling and working on the Bee-Up tool before moving on to join the OMiLAB NPO.

[T3] Discrete-Event Modeling and Simulation-based Development of Embedded Systems

Organizers: Gabriel Wainer and Cristina Ruiz-Martin

Embedded real-time software construction has usually posed challenges due to the complexity of the tasks these systems have to execute. Most methods for developing embedded real-time systems require complex verification and validation efforts with no guarantee for bug-free software products. Although formal methods have showed shown promising results, they are difficult to apply when the complexity of the system under development scales up. Instead, systems engineers have often relied on the use of modeling and simulation (M&S) techniques to make system development tasks manageable. Construction of system models and their analysis through simulation reduces both end costs and risks, while enhancing system capabilities and improving the quality of the final products. M&S let users experiment with “virtual” systems, allowing them to explore changes, and test dynamic conditions in a risk-free environment. This is a useful approach, moreover, considering that testing under actual operating conditions may be impractical and, in some cases, impossible. In this tutorial, we will present a Modeling and Simulation-based framework to develop embedded systems based on the DEVS (Discrete EVent systems Specification) formalism. DEVS provides a formal foundation to M&S that combines the advantages of a simulation-based approach with the rigor of a formal methodology. We will discuss how to use this framework to incrementally develop embedded applications, and to integrate simulation models with hardware components seamlessly. The use of DEVS improves reliability (in terms of logical correctness and timing), enables model reuse, and permits reducing development and testing times for the overall process. Consequently, the development cycle could be shortened, its cost reduced, and quality and reliability of the final product improved. One of the main aspects of the methodology is that it can be integrated with models of the environment in which the embedded controller will act. Our approach does not impose any order in the deployment of the actual hardware components, providing flexibility to the overall process.

Speaker/s Biography:

Gabriel Wainer, FSCS, is Full Professor in the Department of Systems and Computer Engineering at Carleton University (Ottawa, ON, Canada). He has held visiting positions at the University of Arizona; LSIS (CNRS), Université Paul Cézanne, University of Nice, INRIA Sophia-Antipolis, Université de Bordeaux (France); UCM, UPM, UPC (Spain), and others. He is one of the founders of SIMUTools, ANNSIM (SCS/IEEE/ACM), the Symposium on Theory of Modeling and Simulation (SCS/ACM/IEEE), and Symposium on Simulation in Architecture and Urban Design - SimAUD (SCS/ACM/IEEE). Prof. Wainer was Vice-President Conferences and Vice-President Publications and is a member of the Board of Directors of the SCS, Society for Modeling and Simulation International. He has published over 450 research articles and five books in the field of Modeling and Simulation, and edited 13 Conference Proceedings. Prof. Wainer is Editor in Chief of SIMULATION, member of the Editorial Board of Journal of Simulation (Taylor and Francis), IEEE Computing in Science and Engineering, Wireless Networks (Elsevier). He is the head of the Advanced Real-time Simulation lab, located at Carleton University’s Centre for advanced Simulation and Visualization (V- Sim). He helped organizing over 150 conferences, being the Program Chair of the first ACM SIGSIM PADS and the 50th Winter Simulation Conference. He has been the recipient of various awards, including the IBM Eclipse Innovation, SCS Leadership, and various Best Papers. He has received numerous awards, including most notably recent awards such as Nepean’s Canada 150th Anniversary Medal (2017), ACM Recognition of Service Award (2018), IEEE Outstanding Engineering Award (Ottawa Section - 2019) and the McLeod Outstanding Service Award (SCS, 2022). He is an ACM Distinguished Speaker and a Fellow of SCS.

Cristina Ruiz Martin is an Instructor at the Department of Systems and Computer Engineering at Carleton University (Ottawa, ON, Canada). She received the DEVS Modeling and Simulation Ph.D. Dissertation Award from SCS (2019) and the Young Simulation Scientist Award from SCS (2020). She is a member of the Board of Directors of SCS since July 2021

[T4] Ontological Modeling Language

Organizers: Maged Elaasar

This tutorial will present the ontological approach to systems modeling and analysis using the Ontological Modeling Language (OML ), developed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), and contributed through the openCAESAR project. We will first give a brief overview of OML, its history, its architecture, and its tool ecosystem. Then, we will hold a number of short hands-on labs where we will give attendees some experience with working with OML and its tools. This will include developing a semantic vocabulary, using it to describe a system, and analyzing the system description for consistency using a logical reasoner, a set of queries, and a UI viewpoint. Familiarity with using the Eclipse IDE would greatly help. Some background in system modeling, with languages like UML or SysML, and some knowledge about semantic web would also help but is not essential. Following the tutorial’s installation instructions documented on the tutorial web page beforehand would be greatly appreciated.

Speaker/s Biography:

Maged Elaasar is a Senior Computer Scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), where he technically leads a strategic R&D program called Integrated Model Centric Engineering (IMCE). The mission of the program is to transform Systems Engineering into a rigorous, agile, and data-centric practice, and infuse it in JPL’s space missions. Dr. Elaasar also leads the openCAESAR open-source project that provides many of IMCE’s innovations, like the Ontological Modeling Language (OML), not only to JPL but to the industry at large (including players from the aerospace, defense and automotive domains). Prior to that, Dr. Elaasar was a Senior Software Architect at IBM, where he led the R&D of several commercial software and systems modeling tools (like Rational Software Architect) for 15 years. He also represents JPL (and previously IBM) at the Object Management Group where he has led several standards (including UML). Dr. Elaasar is also a part-time lecturer at the CS department of the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) where he teaches Software Engineering. He is also the founder of Modelware Solutions, a consulting company in model-based engineering (MBE) with several international clients. Dr. Elaasar holds a B.Sc. (AUC ’96) and M.Sc. (Carleton ’03) in Computer Science, and a Ph.D. (Carleton ’12) in Computer Systems Engineering. He has published over 75 peer-reviewed papers and 12 US patents.

[T5] Digital Twin as a Decision-Making Aid in the Face of Uncertainty

Organizers: Vinay Kulkarni, Souvik Barat, Tony Clark and Balbir Barn

You have heard extensively about digital twins and how they can be applied in a range of domains and for a range of different purposes. A particularly pressing problem that you are wrestling with is understanding how digital twin technology can be applied to aid in your decision-making requirements in the context of uncertainty. Do you need help in understanding how digital twins can be used? This introductory tutorial provides you with a detailed understanding of why digital twins are an important technology for exploring the unique phenomena of complex socio-cyber-economic ecosystems. The tutorial presents a critical analysis of the current state of the art and practice of digital twins in decision making and includes a focus on our actor-based language called Enterprise Simulation Language (ESL). This language is an example of an infrastructure for developing these digital twins for complex systems decision making. The tutorial helps you understand how ESL and related technologies can be used effectively by presenting multiple examples of real-world use of ESL to build digital twins. Problems addressed by these examples include: COVID-19 intervention planning, return to work planning post COVID-19, customer lifetime value optimization in the telecoms industry, and supply chain.

Participants will get introduced to the concept of Digital Twin as it is seen in Business, Cyber-physical and Socio-techno-economic spaces. Participants will get exposed to the core technology infrastructure needed to support Digital Twin as a decision-making aid. They will learn how digital twin possibly accompanied by reinforcement learning has been used to support quantitative evidence-backed decision-making in several real-world use cases two of which resonate very well with the conference theme of “modelling for social good”.

Speaker/s Biography:

Vinay Kulkarni is Distinguished Chief Scientist and Head of Software Systems & Services research at Tata Consultancy Services. His research interests include digital twins, adaptive enterprises, learning-native software systems, model-driven software engineering, and enterprise modelling. Alumnus of IIT Madras, Vinay serves as a Visiting Professor at Aston University Birmingham, Middlesex University London, and IIT Jodhpur. Further information can be found at https://in.linkedin.com/in/vinayvkulkarni. Vinay can be reached at vinay.vkulkarni@tcs.com.

Souvik Barat is a Principal Scientist at Tata Consultancy Services Research and visiting research at Middlesex University London. He holds a PhD Computer Science and his research interests include digital twin technology, modelling and simulation of complex systems, agent and actor technology, enterprise modeling, and business process modelling. His email address is souvik.barat@tcs.com.

Tony Clark is a Professor of Computer Science and Deputy Dean (Education) in the College of Engineering and Physical Science at Aston University. He has experience of working in both Academia and Industry on a range of software projects and consultancies. His research interests include Digital Twins and Software Engineering, Languages and Modelling for Agent-based Adaptive Systems. His email address is tony.clark@aston.ac.uk.

Balbir Barn is Professor of Software Engineering and Academic Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology at Middlesex University. Balbir has extensive commercial research experience working in research centres at Texas Instruments and Sterling Software as well as leading on academic funded research (Over £2.5 million). His research interests include socio-technical digital twins, value sensitive design and model driven software engineering. His email address is b.barn@mdx.ac.uk.

[T6] From System Engineering to Analysis and Design for the Best Digital Products Engineering

Organizers: Saulius Pavalkis and Rosa Gragossian

In this session, we present the state of the art of ongoing major activity integrating MBSE with SysML together with design, analysis and model management capabilities in PLM engineering and business model based enterprise environment. We will share 30 years of ongoing effort integrating UML and SysML Object Management Group (OMG) standard based software and systems modeling solutions. This includes mapping data, leveraging interchange and modeling standards. Result of work contributes to new version of the UML, SysML and interchange standards. Specifically, the session will present work in state of the art integrations between SysML and PLM. This contributes to Model based Systems Engineering ecosystem expansion and digital engineering strategy support. This is enabled by increased popularity of modeling standards for systems engineering which introduced formality in discipline and ability to apply semantically rich mapping between modeling of different disciplines like system engineering, analysis, design and requirements. We will demonstrate work done with Cameo / CATIA Magic – SysML modeling tool, and 3DEXPERIENCE by Dassault Systèmes PLM platform. Even though a specific software is used all the integration methods and workflow is universal and can be applied for other tools. We will cover five major integration points including optimal metamodels mapping, workflow, and integration method. We cover system architecture in SysML and: 1. Requirements Management 2. Product Lines Engineering (PLE) and variants management 3. Simulation, workflow automation, optimization 4. Design continuity 5. Traceability and baselines

Speaker/s Biography:

Saulius Pavalkis has 20 years of MBSE solutions experience, product owner and analyst at Cameo core team, chief solution architect, consultant, and trainer. Throughout his career, he has been actively involved in building excellent MBSE ecosystem solutions in aerospace, defense, automotive and other areas. Former affiliate for JPL NASA for MBSE consulting, contractor for Boeing MBSE transformation. Saulius contributed to MBSE SysML based method and framework MagicGrid book and recent “Agile MBSE Coocbook” book by Bruce Douglas. Guides 2000 subscribers - the largest SysML systems simulation community (youtube.com/c/MBSEExecution). Through the work accumulated major experience in systems modeling, simulation, MBSE ecosystem, interfaces and integrations, traceability, queries. Saulius has INCOSE CSEP, OMG OCSMP, No Magic lifetime modeling and simulation excellence award. Saulius has PhD in Software engineering in models query area, MC and BS in telecommunications and electronics from Kaunas University of Technology.