Background

The DEVISE group is based on three research groups at the Computer Science Department, Aarhus University, representing complementary areas within system development:

Design, specification and validation based on Coloured Petri Nets

For more than 15 years, this group has been working with the development of Coloured Petri Nets (CP-nets). CP-nets is a language which is used to model and analyse systems where different processes communicate and synchronise with each other, e.g., communication protocols, VLSI chips, production systems, work flows, embedded systems, and distributed systems. The graphical interface and the simulation capabilities make CP-nets easy to use. The formal semantics makes it possible to prove behavioural properties of the modelled system, such as absence of deadlock. CP-nets have a solid mathematical and theoretical foundation. They combine concepts from Petri nets with concepts from programming languages. Synchronisation and control structures are described by means of Petri nets, while the detailed data structures and data manipulations are described by means of a programming language. CP-nets are supported by a powerful set of computer tools and they have been used for a wide range of industrial applications. CP-nets are developed at Aarhus University over the last 15 years. Today CP-nets are used all over the world. They are the most commonly used net type for the practical use of Petri nets. Also much theoretical work builds upon CP-nets.

Object-oriented analysis, design, implementation and programming environments

This group has for more than 15 years been involved in research in object-oriented programming and programming environments. This work has among other things resulted in the development of the object-oriented programming language, BETA and the Mjølner BETA System, which is a programming environment supporting object-oriented programming in BETA. The Mjølner BETA System was developed as part of The Mjølner Project, a Nordic project with participants from industry and universities.

Rapid prototyping, computer support for cooperative work and system development with end-users

For more than 15 years, this group has been working with methods and theories for end-user participation in development and evaluation of computer systems. This work includes:

• Experimental design together with end-users, including evaluation and modification of prototypes, primarily based on direct manipulation,
• Design of computer-based tools and materials that support cooperation between professional developers and end-users in the early stages of a design process by exploiting analogies with non-computer-based tools and materials, such as pen, paper, tape-recorder, and slides, and integration of these in a development environment,
• Continued theoretical work in areas of experimental system development, particularly the conditions for cooperation between professional system developers and end-users, and the implications for development tools.