In: J.-M. Jézéquel, H. Hussmann, S. Cook (Eds.): UML 2002 - The Unified Modeling Language, 5th International Conference, Dresden, Germany, September 30 - October 4, 2002, pages 1-140pp. Springer Verlag, LNCS 2460, September 2002.
Abstract: UML is applied in the design of a pervasive healthcare middleware system for the hospitals in Aarhus County, Denmark. It works well for the modelling of static aspects of the system, but with respect to describing the behaviour, UML is not sufficient. This paper explains why and, as a remedy, suggests to supplement the UML models with behaviour descriptions in the modelling language Coloured Petri Nets, CPN. CPN models are executable and fine-grained, and a combined use of UML and CPN thus supports design-time investigation of the detailed behaviour of system components. In this way, the behavioural consequences of alternative design proposals may be evaluated and compared, based on models and prior to implementation.
Keywords: Executable models; detailed behaviour; Petri nets; CPN; system design; middleware; pervasive and mobile computing; supplementing UML.