Integrating the semantics of events, processes and tasks across requirements engineering layers

Today, software should be more flexible, adaptable and more cost effective than ever before. There are indications that event-based architectures improve the flexibility, adaptability and cost effectiveness of software. Events are crucial concepts in event-based architectures, however, the concept of event has different interpretations in modeling techniques, which makes it difficult to integrate the use of different techniques during early and late requirements engineering. This paper outlines a PhD intended to develop an event-based requirements engineering methodology which supports the specification, development and verification of event-based systems. More specifically, this PhD strives to further develop the concept of event in requirements engineering and provide it with a formally defined semantics. The event concept is positioned with respect to existing concepts for modeling dynamic aspects of a system. A major goal is to keep the complexity of the modeling method at an acceptable level and enable a smooth transition of event-based architectures from requirements to implementation level. Finally, by performing an ontological analysis, using the BWW ontology and UFO, a set of orthogonal dimensions of the concept of event could be found.