ModTools'16 - Workshop on Methodical Development of Modelling Tools at EDOC’2016

September 5/6, 2016

The availability of modelling tools is a central assumption in modelling research. Software tools for modelling are a prerequisite for any practical application of modelling methods, and research prototypes of model editors are required for developing new modelling languages and methods. It is thus desirable to promote the development of modelling tools and seamlessly align their design with the conceptualization and application of modelling languages.

The MODTOOLS workshop focuses on procedures and architectural principles related to the creation of software for presenting, editing, transforming or analysing models. This covers special capabilities related to the use of models and modelling languages, for example, the ability to automatically derive model editor functionality from formal specifications of modelling languages (meta-models, grammars, etc.). In addition, design principles and implementation options for modelling tools, such as wizard support for interactive modelling or alternative ways to display graphical models, are discussed. All kinds of models are included in this discussion, either domain-specific or general-purpose models, as well as graphical and textual models with their related software tooling support. The intended audience comprises scientists and practitioners who apply modelling techniques and model-driven procedures and develop their own modelling tools.

Submissions may document research work on newly created modelling tools, either for prototype or production purposes, as well as work on methodology and architecture of modelling tool development. This may cover model editor software in a narrow sense, as well as any approach for handling, transforming or analysing models in a wider sense. Papers investigating the possibilities and limitations of current tool development platforms are also appreciated.

2016's Special Focus: Visualization in Modelling Tools

2016's edition of the ModTools workshop will furthermore focus on the topic of visualization in modelling tools. The need to support ever more data, stakeholders, platforms/devices and layout algorithms requires new model visualizations techniques that allow modelling tool developers to consider multiple aspects of model visualization during the design and development of the modelling tools. Hence, approaches for coping with extensive overarching model representations using layers, perspectives, or views (multi-view modelling) together with their integration mechanisms for enabling consistency are of high interest. Moreover, papers describing approaches that enable such as device-specific or stakeholder-specific visualization of data in modelling tools are welcomed.

Topics of Interest

Topics covered by the workshop range from applying traditional software development methodologies for modelling tool development, over specialized generative or interpretative approaches, to theoretical work about modelling concepts and their technical realization in modelling tools. Moreover, papers targeting at the special focus visualization in modelling tools are of high interest. Possible topics and research questions for submissions include (but are not limited to):

• Novel approaches for visual analytics and information visualization in modelling tools.
• New approaches for editing and accessing models on mobile devices? How can interaction capabilities of touch-screens be used for modelling?
• What role do modelling tools play as end-user interfaces for controlling applications, e.g., "models at runtime"?
• How can the visualization of modelling tools and the model information be directed towards multiple devices and/or stakeholders?
• What novel approaches can guide the separation of an overarching model into manageable fragments, e.g. layers, perspectives, views, while ensuring consistency between these fragments (multi-view modelling)?
• How can distributed modelling scenarios be supported by modelling tools? On which architectural principles can distributed modelling tools be grounded?
• How can tool development environments or meta modelling platforms be extended in order to provide more suitable methodical support during the design and the development of modelling tools?
• Can multi-media capabilities, such as movement and sound, be incorporated into modelling tools?

Important dates:

• Workshop paper submission deadline: April 15, 2016, extended until May 01 2016!
  
• Workshop paper notification to authors: June 13, 2016
• Camera-ready paper: July 1, 2016
• Workshop: September 5/6, 2016

Submissions

Papers submissions will be double-blind peer-reviewed. Accepted workshop papers will be published in a second volume of the EDOC 2016 conference proceedings following the IEEE Conference format. A page limit of 8 pages IEEE double-column format, with the option for authors to buy an additional 2 pages is valid for all workshop papers.

Papers must comply with the IEEE double-column format and be submitted anonymously via the EasyChair conference system.

Workshop Co-Chairs: 

• Dominik Bork (corresponding), dominik.bork[at]univie.ac.at, University of Vienna, Austria
• Colin Atkinson, University of Mannheim, Germany
  
• Jens Gulden, University of Duisburg-Essen, Germany

List of PC members (preliminary):

• Steffen Becker, Univerity Chemnitz, Germany
• Ruth Breu, University of Innsbruck, Austria
• Robert Buchmann, Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca, Romania
• Tony Clark, Sheffield Hallam University, United Kingdom
• Hans-Georg Fill, University of Vienna, Austria
• Ulrich Frank, University Duisburg-Essen, Germany
• Jörg Kienzle, McGill University Montreal, Canada
• Henrik Leopold, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Stefan Strecker, FernUniversität in Hagen, Germany
• Robert Woitsch, BOC Asset Management GmbH Vienna, Austria