1. The Tropos visual modeling language A meta-model.
Anna Perini1, Angelo Susi1, Davide Bertolini1,
Haralambos Mouratidis2
1ITC - IRST
Via Sommarive, 18, I-38050, Trento-Povo, Italy
2School of Computing and Technology
University of East London, Barking Campus, Dagenham

2. Context
A Tropos meta-model implemented in a tool (TAOM4E It is a revision of the one presented in Jaamas 2004.
An “Unifying metamodel” for AO specification under discussion in AOSE TGF and a proposal in a paper presented at AOSE04 (C. Bernon, M. Cossentino, M-P. Gleizes, P. Turci, F. Zambonelli)

3. Outline A slide recalling how visual modeling in Tropos looks like …
The Tropos meta-model (specified according to MOF 2.0)
Our proposal on how to integrate it in the “Unifying metamodel” (to be discussed…)
Agent structure
Agent interactions
Agent society and organizational structure
Agent implementation
An overview of the technology we used for implementing it.

4. AO Visual Modeling with Tropos
Early Requirements
Late Requirements
Architectural Design
Detailed Design
Implementation
Actors in the organizational setting
System Actor
Sub-system Actors
Agents
Sw Agents
Requirement driven approach

5. Tropos metamodel 1/2
Actor: an entity that has strategic goals and intentionality;
Goal: actors' strategic interests;
Resource: a physical or an informational entity;
Plan: a way of doing something;
Dependency: depender  dependum  dependee.

6. Tropos metamodel 2/2 AND/OR decomposition: root(Goal)  sub(Goals)
Contribution: towards the fulfillment of a goal
Means-end analysis: a means to satisfy the goal.

7. A Unifying Meta-Model
C. Bernon, M. Cossentino, M-P. Gleizes, P. Turci, F. Zambonelli.
A Study of some Multi-agent Meta-Models
(AOSE ’04)

8. Discussion 1/2 Agent structure
Agent: a software having property such as autonomy, reactivity, proactivity;
Role: abstract characterisation of the behaviour of a social actor;
Position: represents a set of roles;
As a result we could add all Tropos concepts:
GOAL/PLAN (with analysis technique)
Resource -> Resource

9. Discussion 2/2 Agent interactions:
Initially, interactions are modelled in terms of social dependencies;
Later they are translated into structural patterns of interactions between the agents of the system ( UML);
Moreover, agents are able to communicate with their environment in terms of events that describe a triggering condition for an agent’s actions.
Agent society and organizational structure
During E.R. stage an organisational model is produced;
This model forms the basis for the system’s structure:
a set of organisational styles inspired by organisation theory (pyramid, matrix, auction);
social patterns (such as mediator, broker and embassy).
“Belongs” relationship: if we are not modelling role
Agent implementation
The implementation activity follows step-by-step the detailed design specification on the basis of the establish mapping between the implementation platform constructs and the detailed design notions

10. TAOM4E: technologies
Meta Object Facility: abstract language and framework for specifying, constructing and managing technology neutral meta-models.
Model Implementation: JMI + MDR (now EMF)
Model Persistence: XML – XMI
Eclipse (

11. Model Driven Architecture
Separate business logic (processes, rules) from supporting technologies.
Models are centric:
Target middleware is not important.
Platform Independent Models (PIM)
Without middleware details
Platform Specific Models (PSM)
Including all middleware details
PIM to PSM transformations (QVT)
Models and Mappings become your corporate assets
Another
Model
[Bezivin, 2004]

12. Conclusion The Tropos meta-model (specified according to MOF1.4)
A proposal on how to integrate it in the “Unifying metamodel” (presented at AOSE04)
An overview of the technology we used for implementing it in the TAOM4E tool, following MDA directives