2021
Torres-Sospedra, Joaquín; Martínez-Salvador, Begoña; Sancho, Cristina Campos; Marcos, Mar
Process Model Metrics for Quality Assessment of Computer-Interpretable Guidelines in PROforma Journal Article
In: Applied Sciences, vol. 11, no. 7, pp. 2922, 2021, ISSN: 2076-3417.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Software metrics, software models
@article{Torres-Sospedra2021a,
title = {Process Model Metrics for Quality Assessment of Computer-Interpretable Guidelines in PROforma},
author = {Joaquín Torres-Sospedra and Begoña Martínez-Salvador and Cristina Campos Sancho and Mar Marcos},
doi = {https://doi.org/10.3390/app11072922},
issn = {2076-3417},
year = {2021},
date = {2021-03-25},
journal = {Applied Sciences},
volume = {11},
number = {7},
pages = {2922},
abstract = {Background: Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) include recommendations to optimize patient care and thus have the potential to improve the quality and outcomes of healthcare. To achieve this, CPG recommendations are usually formalized in terms of Computer-Interpretable Guideline (CIG) languages. However, a clear understanding of CIG models may prove complicated, due to the inherent complexity of CPGs and the specificities of CIG languages. Drawing a parallel with the Business Process Management (BPM) and the Software Engineering fields, understandability and modifiability of CIG models can be regarded as primary quality attributes, in order to facilitate their validation, as well as their adaptation to accommodate evolving clinical evidence, by modelers (typically teams made up of clinical and IT experts). This constitutes a novel approach in this area of CIG development, where understandability and modifiability aspects have not been considered to date. Objective: In this paper, we define a comprehensive set of process model metrics for CIGs described in the PROforma CIG language, with the main objective of providing tools for quality assessment of CIG models in this language. Methods: To this end, we first reinterpret a set of metrics from the BPM field in terms of PROforma and then we define new metrics to capture the singularities of PROforma models. Additionally, we report on a set of experiments to assess the relationship between the structural and logical properties of CIG models, as measured by the proposed metrics, and their understandability and modifiability from the point of view of modelers, both clinicians and IT staff. For the analysis of the experiment results, we perform statistical analysis based on a generalized linear mixed model with binary logistic regression. Results: Our contribution includes the definition of a comprehensive set of metrics that allow measuring model quality aspects of PROforma CIG models, the implementation of tools and algorithms to assess the metrics for PROforma models, and the empirical validation of the proposed metrics as quality indicators. Conclusions: In light of the results, we conclude that the proposed metrics can be of great value, as they capture the PROforma-specific features in addition to those inspired by the general-purpose BPM metrics in the literature. In particular, the newly defined metrics for PROforma prevail as statistically significant when the whole CIG model is considered, which means that they better characterize its complexity. Consequently, the proposed metrics can be used as quality indicators of the understandability, and thereby maintainability, of PROforma CIGs},
keywords = {Software metrics, software models},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Background: Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) include recommendations to optimize patient care and thus have the potential to improve the quality and outcomes of healthcare. To achieve this, CPG recommendations are usually formalized in terms of Computer-Interpretable Guideline (CIG) languages. However, a clear understanding of CIG models may prove complicated, due to the inherent complexity of CPGs and the specificities of CIG languages. Drawing a parallel with the Business Process Management (BPM) and the Software Engineering fields, understandability and modifiability of CIG models can be regarded as primary quality attributes, in order to facilitate their validation, as well as their adaptation to accommodate evolving clinical evidence, by modelers (typically teams made up of clinical and IT experts). This constitutes a novel approach in this area of CIG development, where understandability and modifiability aspects have not been considered to date. Objective: In this paper, we define a comprehensive set of process model metrics for CIGs described in the PROforma CIG language, with the main objective of providing tools for quality assessment of CIG models in this language. Methods: To this end, we first reinterpret a set of metrics from the BPM field in terms of PROforma and then we define new metrics to capture the singularities of PROforma models. Additionally, we report on a set of experiments to assess the relationship between the structural and logical properties of CIG models, as measured by the proposed metrics, and their understandability and modifiability from the point of view of modelers, both clinicians and IT staff. For the analysis of the experiment results, we perform statistical analysis based on a generalized linear mixed model with binary logistic regression. Results: Our contribution includes the definition of a comprehensive set of metrics that allow measuring model quality aspects of PROforma CIG models, the implementation of tools and algorithms to assess the metrics for PROforma models, and the empirical validation of the proposed metrics as quality indicators. Conclusions: In light of the results, we conclude that the proposed metrics can be of great value, as they capture the PROforma-specific features in addition to those inspired by the general-purpose BPM metrics in the literature. In particular, the newly defined metrics for PROforma prevail as statistically significant when the whole CIG model is considered, which means that they better characterize its complexity. Consequently, the proposed metrics can be used as quality indicators of the understandability, and thereby maintainability, of PROforma CIGs
2019
Rodríguez-Pupo, Luis Enrique; Granell-Canut, Carlos; Casteleyn, Sven
An Analytics Platform for Integrating and Computing Spatio-temporal Metrics Journal Article
In: ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 54, 2019, (IF).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: context-aware computing, RyC-Casteleyn, RyC-Granell, Software metrics
@article{Rodríguez-Pupo2019,
title = {An Analytics Platform for Integrating and Computing Spatio-temporal Metrics},
author = {Luis Enrique Rodríguez-Pupo and Carlos Granell-Canut and Sven Casteleyn},
doi = {10.3390/ijgi8020054},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-03-13},
journal = {ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information},
volume = {8},
number = {2},
pages = {54},
abstract = {In large-scale context-aware applications, a central design concern is capturing, managing and acting upon location and context data. The ability to understand the collected data and define meaningful contextual events, based on one or more incoming (contextual) data streams, both for a single and multiple users, is hereby critical for applications to exhibit location- and context-aware behaviour. In this article, we describe a context-aware, data-intensive metrics platform —focusing primarily on its geospatial support—that allows exactly this: to define and execute metrics, which capture meaningful spatio-temporal and contextual events relevant for the application realm. The platform (1) supports metrics definition and execution; (2) provides facilities for real-time, in-application actions upon metrics execution results; (3) allows post-hoc analysis and visualisation of collected data and results. It hereby offers contextual and geospatial data management and analytics as a service, and allow context-aware application developers to focus on their core application logic. We explain the core platform and its ecosystem of supporting applications and tools, elaborate the most important conceptual features, and discuss implementation realised through a distributed, micro-service based cloud architecture. Finally, we highlight possible application fields, and present a real-world case study in the realm of psychological health.},
note = {IF},
keywords = {context-aware computing, RyC-Casteleyn, RyC-Granell, Software metrics},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
In large-scale context-aware applications, a central design concern is capturing, managing and acting upon location and context data. The ability to understand the collected data and define meaningful contextual events, based on one or more incoming (contextual) data streams, both for a single and multiple users, is hereby critical for applications to exhibit location- and context-aware behaviour. In this article, we describe a context-aware, data-intensive metrics platform —focusing primarily on its geospatial support—that allows exactly this: to define and execute metrics, which capture meaningful spatio-temporal and contextual events relevant for the application realm. The platform (1) supports metrics definition and execution; (2) provides facilities for real-time, in-application actions upon metrics execution results; (3) allows post-hoc analysis and visualisation of collected data and results. It hereby offers contextual and geospatial data management and analytics as a service, and allow context-aware application developers to focus on their core application logic. We explain the core platform and its ecosystem of supporting applications and tools, elaborate the most important conceptual features, and discuss implementation realised through a distributed, micro-service based cloud architecture. Finally, we highlight possible application fields, and present a real-world case study in the realm of psychological health.
2017
Rodríguez-Pupo, Luis Enrique; Casteleyn, Sven; Granell-Canut, Carlos
On Metrics for Location-aware Games Journal Article
In: ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, vol. 6, no. 10, pp. 299, 2017, ISSN: 2220-9964.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: geogames, geolocation, RyC-Casteleyn, RyC-Granell, Software metrics
@article{Rodríguez-Pupo2017,
title = {On Metrics for Location-aware Games},
author = {Luis Enrique Rodríguez-Pupo and Sven Casteleyn and Carlos Granell-Canut},
doi = {10.3390/ijgi6100299 },
issn = {2220-9964},
year = {2017},
date = {2017-10-01},
journal = {ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information},
volume = {6},
number = {10},
pages = {299},
abstract = {Metrics are important and well-known tools to measure users’ behavior in games, and gameplay in general. Particularities of location-aware games—a class of games where the player’s location plays a central role-demand specific support in metrics to adequately address the spatio-temporal features such games exhibit. In this article, we analyse and discuss how existing game analytics platforms address the spatio-temporal features of location-aware games. Our analysis reveals that little support is available. Next, based on the analysis, we propose a classification of spatial metrics, embedded in existing literature, and discuss three types of spatial metrics-point-, trajectory- and area-based metrics-, and elaborate examples and difficulties. Finally, we discuss how spatial metrics may be deployed to improve gameplay in location-aware games},
keywords = {geogames, geolocation, RyC-Casteleyn, RyC-Granell, Software metrics},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Metrics are important and well-known tools to measure users’ behavior in games, and gameplay in general. Particularities of location-aware games—a class of games where the player’s location plays a central role-demand specific support in metrics to adequately address the spatio-temporal features such games exhibit. In this article, we analyse and discuss how existing game analytics platforms address the spatio-temporal features of location-aware games. Our analysis reveals that little support is available. Next, based on the analysis, we propose a classification of spatial metrics, embedded in existing literature, and discuss three types of spatial metrics-point-, trajectory- and area-based metrics-, and elaborate examples and difficulties. Finally, we discuss how spatial metrics may be deployed to improve gameplay in location-aware games
2012
Tamayo-Fong, Alain; Granell-Canut, Carlos; Huerta-Guijarro, Joaquín
Measuring complexity in OGC web services XML schemas: Pragmatic use and solutions Journal Article
In: International Journal of Geographical Information Science, vol. 26, no. 6, pp. 1109–1130, 2012, ISSN: 1365-8816, (IF: 1.613, Q1).
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: ESPANA-VIRTUAL, OGC web services, Software metrics, Standards, XML schema
@article{TamayoFong2012b,
title = {Measuring complexity in OGC web services XML schemas: Pragmatic use and solutions},
author = { Alain Tamayo-Fong and Carlos Granell-Canut and Joaquín Huerta-Guijarro},
url = {http://hdl.handle.net/10234/62168},
doi = {10.1080/13658816.2011.626602},
issn = {1365-8816},
year = {2012},
date = {2012-06-01},
journal = {International Journal of Geographical Information Science},
volume = {26},
number = {6},
pages = {1109--1130},
abstract = {The use of standards in the geospatial domain, such as those defined by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), for exchanging data has brought a great deal of interoperability upon which systems can be built in a reliable way. Unfortunately, these standards are becoming increasingly complex, making their implementation an arduous task. The use of appropriate software metrics can be very useful to quantify different properties of the standards that ultimately may suggest different solutions to deal with problems related to their complexity. In this regard, we present in this article an attempt to measure the complexity of the schemas associated with the OGC implementation specifications. We use a comprehensive set of metrics to provide a multidimensional view of this complexity. These metrics can be used to evaluate the impact of design decisions, study the evolution of schemas, and so on. We also present and evaluate different solutions that could be applied to overcome some of the problems associated with the complexity of the schemas. textcopyright 2012 Taylor & Francis.},
note = {IF: 1.613, Q1},
keywords = {ESPANA-VIRTUAL, OGC web services, Software metrics, Standards, XML schema},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
The use of standards in the geospatial domain, such as those defined by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC), for exchanging data has brought a great deal of interoperability upon which systems can be built in a reliable way. Unfortunately, these standards are becoming increasingly complex, making their implementation an arduous task. The use of appropriate software metrics can be very useful to quantify different properties of the standards that ultimately may suggest different solutions to deal with problems related to their complexity. In this regard, we present in this article an attempt to measure the complexity of the schemas associated with the OGC implementation specifications. We use a comprehensive set of metrics to provide a multidimensional view of this complexity. These metrics can be used to evaluate the impact of design decisions, study the evolution of schemas, and so on. We also present and evaluate different solutions that could be applied to overcome some of the problems associated with the complexity of the schemas. textcopyright 2012 Taylor & Francis.