Projects
Free Models Initiative (FMI)
Many disciplines have large collections of sample data (”corpora”) as accepted points of reference. This is not the case in Modeling, to the detriment of the field. The Free Models Initiative aspires to overcome this problem and provide models freely. Read more >>>
Communication with Models
PhD, expected 2017
In industry, models are primarily used as a medium for cognition and communication. QualiWare ApS
has long recognized and exploited this fact; the QualiWare tool-sets are some of the finest in class. With this academic-industrial research collaboration, we will underpin practical experience with fundamental research so as to further improve the integration of different model perspectives (e.g., process vs. product models), with special consideration of the manufacturing industry.-
ADDITIVE
stands for Analysis, Development, and Distribution of Instructional Tools for Innovative Engineering. ADDITIVE covers a range of tools, ranging from best-of-breed commercial tool suites via pragmatic engineering tools that fill gaps left by the commercial tool vendors, to experimental academic tools with a large research component.Read more >>> -
COMPUTE Software Group
Many academics create researcher prototypes or data sets to prove a point. Sometimes, however, these are really useful for other purposes and wider audiences, too: such artifacts could earn substantial popularity and benefit society at large.
The COMPUTE Software Group (CSG) is our attempt to take those hidden treasures, and bring them to the attention of more people, complementing the raw functionality by better UIs, web pages, manuals tutorials and so on. We also want to provide guidance and consulting for professionalization, in particular regarding legal questions on IP, licensing and so on, evolving software over time while ensuring maintenance, or refactoring existing software so as to allow sustainable evolution. Read more >>>
Modelling in Industry
In this project we are studying the modeling actual practices of practitioners from the software industry. We look at what kinds of models they create, at what stage, for what purpose, and for what reason, how they use these models afterwards, and what the benefit of such models is in the end. We interview very experienced practitioners (min. 10-15 years of professional experience), with a high level of academic education (many of them have PhDs), and a broad overview over different organisations and/or industries. The participants come from different industries, regions, and types of organisations to ensure a high degree of validity. We conduct semi-structured personal interviews, audio-record them, process the data obtained (Audacity, F4, MaxQDA), and analyse the resulting encoding qualitatively and quantitatively. At the point of writing this (9/2013), we have acquired 12 interviews, and are looking forward to collect up to 20 by the end of 2014.-
Visual Model Transformation Language
PhD, expected 2016
Model Transformation (MT) is the cornerstone of Model Driven Development (MDD), a popular software development paradigm which is intensely studied in many places, including IMM.SE. However, MDD has so far not lived up to its promise. We see less adoption in industry than would be desirable. We believe that one of the reasons for this is the fact that current Model Transformation Languages such as ATLAS, Epsilon, Kermeta, or QVT are inadequate in that they provide only a very low level of abstraction, making it very difficult to create, validate, and apply model transformations. -
Model Observatory
The Model Observatory is an initiative to collect, curate, and share models and knowledge about models in the software enineering domain (think UML, BPMN, KAOS, and similar notations). The mission of the Model Observatory is to collect, store, index, retrieve, and distribute conceptual models, and it aspires to further research in Model Based Software Development by providing publicly available rich data sets to validate and benchmark new technologies and algorithms.
The Model Observatory resembles many other model repositories in terms of goal and mission, but it has the ambitionto supersede them all, by far, in may dimensions: number, size, and quality of models; usability and availability of the catalog; quality and richness of meta data; and, most importantly, all models shall be free and available in machine-readable formats.
Read more >>> - UML Diagram Layout - a structured mapping study
Internal research project, 2012
In our work on the impact of layout quality to diagram understanding by modelers, we have done the usual conventional (i.e., informal) "related work" survey. Over time, we have realised that there is a need for a more systematic study which we have recently begun. This will map out into a Systematic Literature Review expected in late 2014. 
BaneDanmark Tracking Tool
Consulting, 2012
In 2012, my colleage E. Kindler and I consulted BaneDanmark on a problem with developing tool support for managing and tracking a large scale project.- PUSH - Process-Driven Environment for Software Development
Engineering, 1998-2003
The PUSH project was an early attempt to integrate workflow-control, modeling tools, and general purpose software engineering tools in the early days of UML (1998-2003). The Acronym derives from German "Prozessgesteuerte Umgebung zur Software-Herstellung". While the project never matured beyond proof-of-concept prototypes, it was influential in shaping our ideas about modeling, and model-driven development.