Development of data acquisition systems by using a domain-specific modeling language

Data acquisition is the process of capturing and measuring physical data and then converting the results into a digital form that is further manipulated by a computer program. Within the industry, data acquisition systems (measurement systems) are used in a wide variety of fields, including product quality testing. Usually measuring systems are complicated devices, however newer data acquisition systems tend to be easier to use. As such, they open the door for the development of customized software, which can be easily manipulated, not only by programmers but also by domain experts, enabling them to understand and modify programs. Raising the level of abstraction, particularly with those programs that use visual models, can be an effective aid for domain experts, who are then able to model their programs on their own. This paper describes the design and use of a domain-specific modeling language called the Sequencer, integrated with the measuring equipment DEWESoft, which enables domain experts to model their own data acquisitions. Specifically, in this paper the Sequencer is exposed to: domain concepts identification, the construction of modeling notation, a connection with execution framework, and the end-users' point of view on the modeling tool. The use of the Sequencer will be presented on car brake tests. For this purpose, the Sequencer has already been successfully applied in the automotive industry.