AHCI RESEARCH GROUP
Publications
Papers published in international journals,
proceedings of conferences, workshops and books.
OUR RESEARCH
Scientific Publications
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You can expand the Abstract, Links and BibTex record for each paper.
2022
Cossentino, Massimo; Lopes, Salvatore; Sabatucci, Luca
Automatically-Generated Agent Organizations for Flexible Workflow Enactment Proceedings Article
In: Agents and Artificial Intelligence: 13th International Conference, ICAART 2021, Virtual Event, February 4– 6, 2021, Revised Selected Papers, pp. 70–84, Springer International Publishing Cham, 2022.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Agent organisations, Business Process, Dynamic workflow, Multi agent systems, Workflow management
@inproceedings{cossentinoAutomaticallyGeneratedAgentOrganizations2022,
title = {Automatically-Generated Agent Organizations for Flexible Workflow Enactment},
author = { Massimo Cossentino and Salvatore Lopes and Luca Sabatucci},
doi = {10.1007/978-3-031-10161-8_4},
year = {2022},
date = {2022-01-01},
booktitle = {Agents and Artificial Intelligence: 13th International Conference, ICAART 2021, Virtual Event, February 4– 6, 2021, Revised Selected Papers},
pages = {70--84},
publisher = {Springer International Publishing Cham},
abstract = {The use of multi-agent systems for the implementation and management of data-intensive workflows is generally considered a particularly interesting solution. We propose an approach that exploits the definition of processes described with the BPMN language for the automatic generation of agent organisations. To demonstrate the use of our approach, we chose the JaCaMo agent framework for its inherent support of agent organisations described with the MOISE meta-model. The resulting agent organization is built for adapting to different execution context, by self-modifying its structural and functional specification for continuing to fulfil the BP goal. textcopyright 2022, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.},
keywords = {Agent organisations, Business Process, Dynamic workflow, Multi agent systems, Workflow management},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
The use of multi-agent systems for the implementation and management of data-intensive workflows is generally considered a particularly interesting solution. We propose an approach that exploits the definition of processes described with the BPMN language for the automatic generation of agent organisations. To demonstrate the use of our approach, we chose the JaCaMo agent framework for its inherent support of agent organisations described with the MOISE meta-model. The resulting agent organization is built for adapting to different execution context, by self-modifying its structural and functional specification for continuing to fulfil the BP goal. textcopyright 2022, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
2020
Cossentino, Massimo; Lopes, Salvatore; Sabatucci, Luca
A Tool for the Automatic Generation of MOISE Organisations From BPMN. Proceedings Article
In: WOA, pp. 69, 2020.
Abstract | BibTeX | Tags: BPMN, Business Process, Multi agent systems, Self-Adaptive Systems
@inproceedings{cossentinoToolAutomaticGeneration2020,
title = {A Tool for the Automatic Generation of MOISE Organisations From BPMN.},
author = { Massimo Cossentino and Salvatore Lopes and Luca Sabatucci},
year = {2020},
date = {2020-01-01},
booktitle = {WOA},
volume = {1613},
pages = {69},
abstract = {Multi-agent systems proved successful in enacting business processes because of their inner properties (distribution of tasks, collaboration and coordination among agents). MAS adoption in enacting processes becomes even more interesting if they exhibit adaptation capabilities. The proposed approach consists in the automatic generation of a MOISE organisation from the BPMN specification of a business process. This organisation is conceived to support adaptation because of the possibility to adapt its configuration at runtime according to emerging needs. Here, we focus on the tool for processing BPMN specification and generating MOISE organization code.},
keywords = {BPMN, Business Process, Multi agent systems, Self-Adaptive Systems},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Multi-agent systems proved successful in enacting business processes because of their inner properties (distribution of tasks, collaboration and coordination among agents). MAS adoption in enacting processes becomes even more interesting if they exhibit adaptation capabilities. The proposed approach consists in the automatic generation of a MOISE organisation from the BPMN specification of a business process. This organisation is conceived to support adaptation because of the possibility to adapt its configuration at runtime according to emerging needs. Here, we focus on the tool for processing BPMN specification and generating MOISE organization code.
2019
Sabatucci, Luca; Cossentino, Massimo
Supporting Dynamic Workflows with Automatic Extraction of Goals from BPMN Journal Article
In: ACM Transactions on Autonomous and Adaptive Systems (TAAS), vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 1–38, 2019.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Automatic extraction, Business Process, Dynamic workflow, Goals, Self-Adaptive Systems
@article{sabatucciSupportingDynamicWorkflows2019,
title = {Supporting Dynamic Workflows with Automatic Extraction of Goals from BPMN},
author = { Luca Sabatucci and Massimo Cossentino},
doi = {10.1145/3355488},
year = {2019},
date = {2019-01-01},
journal = {ACM Transactions on Autonomous and Adaptive Systems (TAAS)},
volume = {14},
number = {2},
pages = {1--38},
abstract = {Organizations willing to employ workflow technology have to be prepared to undertake a significant investment of time and effort due to the exceptional dynamic nature of the business environment. Today, it is unlikely that processes are modeled once to be repeatedly executed without any changes. Goal-oriented dynamic workflows are a promising approach to provide flexibility to the execution of business processes. Many goal-oriented frameworks exist in literature to be used for the purpose. However, modeling goals is a burden for the business analyst. This work proposes an automatic approach for extracting goals from a business process for supporting adaptive workflows. The approach consists of a static analysis of the global workflow state. Goals derive from individual BPMN elements and their interactions. For validating the theory, we developed the BPMN2Goals tool, which has been used for supporting a middleware for self-adaptation.},
keywords = {Automatic extraction, Business Process, Dynamic workflow, Goals, Self-Adaptive Systems},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Organizations willing to employ workflow technology have to be prepared to undertake a significant investment of time and effort due to the exceptional dynamic nature of the business environment. Today, it is unlikely that processes are modeled once to be repeatedly executed without any changes. Goal-oriented dynamic workflows are a promising approach to provide flexibility to the execution of business processes. Many goal-oriented frameworks exist in literature to be used for the purpose. However, modeling goals is a burden for the business analyst. This work proposes an automatic approach for extracting goals from a business process for supporting adaptive workflows. The approach consists of a static analysis of the global workflow state. Goals derive from individual BPMN elements and their interactions. For validating the theory, we developed the BPMN2Goals tool, which has been used for supporting a middleware for self-adaptation.
2017
Sabatucci, Luca; Lopes, Salvatore; Cossentino, Massimo
Self-Configuring Cloud Application Mashup with Goals and Capabilities Journal Article
In: Cluster Computing, vol. 20, no. 3, pp. 2047–2063, 2017.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Business Process, Cloud computing, Goal-Oriented Approach, Self-Adaptive Systems, Self-Configuration, Software engineering
@article{sabatucciSelfconfiguringCloudApplication2017,
title = {Self-Configuring Cloud Application Mashup with Goals and Capabilities},
author = { Luca Sabatucci and Salvatore Lopes and Massimo Cossentino},
doi = {10.1007/s10586-017-0911-7},
year = {2017},
date = {2017-01-01},
journal = {Cluster Computing},
volume = {20},
number = {3},
pages = {2047--2063},
abstract = {Cloud mashup is a technique for the seamless composition of SaaS applications from several sources into a single integrated solution. This paper presents a general approach for automatically composing applications and services deployed over the Cloud. The proposed approach implies to encapsulate distributed processes into smart and autonomic entities, namely cloud capabilities. Despite the lack of a central mashup server, these processes are able to autonomously organize in order to establish different ways to address the desired result. The approach uses a couple of languages for describing respectively the mashup logic in terms of goals and the available functionalities in terms of capabilities. The explicit decoupling between user's goals and capabilities provides the system the freedom to generate the orchestration plan at run-time, according to the contextual state. An industrial case study, conducted in for a scientific project, has provided the conditions for evaluating the running example of a B2B business process for a fashion enterprise.},
keywords = {Business Process, Cloud computing, Goal-Oriented Approach, Self-Adaptive Systems, Self-Configuration, Software engineering},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
Cloud mashup is a technique for the seamless composition of SaaS applications from several sources into a single integrated solution. This paper presents a general approach for automatically composing applications and services deployed over the Cloud. The proposed approach implies to encapsulate distributed processes into smart and autonomic entities, namely cloud capabilities. Despite the lack of a central mashup server, these processes are able to autonomously organize in order to establish different ways to address the desired result. The approach uses a couple of languages for describing respectively the mashup logic in terms of goals and the available functionalities in terms of capabilities. The explicit decoupling between user's goals and capabilities provides the system the freedom to generate the orchestration plan at run-time, according to the contextual state. An industrial case study, conducted in for a scientific project, has provided the conditions for evaluating the running example of a B2B business process for a fashion enterprise.
2016
Cavaleri, Antonella; Cossentino, Massimo; Lodato, Carmelo; Lopes, Salvatore; Sabatucci, Luca
Self-Configuring Mashup of Cloud Applications Proceedings Article
In: In Proceedings of the 17th Edition of the International Workshop "From Objects to Agents", CEUR, 2016.
Abstract | BibTeX | Tags: Automatic service composition, Business Process, Cloud computing, Mashup applications
@inproceedings{cavaleriSelfConfiguringMashupCloud2016,
title = {Self-Configuring Mashup of Cloud Applications},
author = { Antonella Cavaleri and Massimo Cossentino and Carmelo Lodato and Salvatore Lopes and Luca Sabatucci},
year = {2016},
date = {2016-01-01},
booktitle = {In Proceedings of the 17th Edition of the International Workshop "From Objects to Agents"},
volume = {1664},
publisher = {CEUR},
abstract = {This paper presents a general approach for automatic composing and orchestrating applications distributed over the cloud. The process is driven by user requirements that are made explicit though a goal specification language. The self-configuration module dynamically organizes a mashup application by composing existing cloud application as atomic brick to compose. Finally the orchestrator module is responsible of a seamless enacting of the selected cloud applications. A prototype has been implemented as a multi agent system for implementing the business process for a company working for fashion firms.},
keywords = {Automatic service composition, Business Process, Cloud computing, Mashup applications},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
This paper presents a general approach for automatic composing and orchestrating applications distributed over the cloud. The process is driven by user requirements that are made explicit though a goal specification language. The self-configuration module dynamically organizes a mashup application by composing existing cloud application as atomic brick to compose. Finally the orchestrator module is responsible of a seamless enacting of the selected cloud applications. A prototype has been implemented as a multi agent system for implementing the business process for a company working for fashion firms.
2013
Sabatucci, Luca; Lodato, Carmelo; Lopes, Salvatore; Cossentino, Massimo
Towards Self-Adaptation and Evolution in Business Process. Proceedings Article
In: Aibp@ Ai* Ia, pp. 1–10, 2013.
Abstract | BibTeX | Tags: Business Process, Multi agent systems, Self-Adaptive Systems
@inproceedings{sabatucciSelfAdaptationEvolutionBusiness2013,
title = {Towards Self-Adaptation and Evolution in Business Process.},
author = { Luca Sabatucci and Carmelo Lodato and Salvatore Lopes and Massimo Cossentino},
year = {2013},
date = {2013-01-01},
booktitle = {Aibp@ Ai* Ia},
pages = {1--10},
abstract = {Business process run-time evolution and adaptivity are two urgent objectives in the research agenda of dynamic workflow execution. Traditional languages as BPMN or BPEL take an imperative style for defining the exact sequences of activities to execute. The imperative approach identifies a narrow space of solution that is generally optimized by the experience. However it does not provide enough freedom of action to bypass obstacles when something exceptional happens. In the wake of declarative specification languages we propose a framework, based on the standard BPMN, in which both business goals and the operative context are monitored for changes during the execution time. To enable a flexible adaptivity of the process to a changing environment we adopt the solution of relax some constraints of the rigid BPMN specification thus to give autonomous software agents the opportunity of exploring a wider space of solution, even when this space evolves unexpectedly or contains uncertainty. The result is a multi-agent system that exploits its features (mainly autonomy and proactivity) in order to monitor the execution state of the process and to discover a distributed solution to unpredictable situations or to specifications' evolution.},
keywords = {Business Process, Multi agent systems, Self-Adaptive Systems},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
Business process run-time evolution and adaptivity are two urgent objectives in the research agenda of dynamic workflow execution. Traditional languages as BPMN or BPEL take an imperative style for defining the exact sequences of activities to execute. The imperative approach identifies a narrow space of solution that is generally optimized by the experience. However it does not provide enough freedom of action to bypass obstacles when something exceptional happens. In the wake of declarative specification languages we propose a framework, based on the standard BPMN, in which both business goals and the operative context are monitored for changes during the execution time. To enable a flexible adaptivity of the process to a changing environment we adopt the solution of relax some constraints of the rigid BPMN specification thus to give autonomous software agents the opportunity of exploring a wider space of solution, even when this space evolves unexpectedly or contains uncertainty. The result is a multi-agent system that exploits its features (mainly autonomy and proactivity) in order to monitor the execution state of the process and to discover a distributed solution to unpredictable situations or to specifications' evolution.
Serral, Estefanía; Sabatucci, Luca; Leonardi, Chiara; Valderas, Pedro; Susi, Angelo; Zancanaro, Massimo; Pelechano, Vicente
Incorporating Users into Ami System Design: From Requirements toward Automation Proceedings Article
In: Information Systems Development: Reflections, Challenges and New Directions, pp. 499–511, Springer New York, 2013.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: AAL for the Elderly, Business Process, Requirement Engineering, Smart Environment
@inproceedings{serralIncorporatingUsersAmi2013,
title = {Incorporating Users into Ami System Design: From Requirements toward Automation},
author = { Estefanía Serral and Luca Sabatucci and Chiara Leonardi and Pedro Valderas and Angelo Susi and Massimo Zancanaro and Vicente Pelechano},
doi = {10.1007/978-1-4614-4951-5_40},
year = {2013},
date = {2013-01-01},
booktitle = {Information Systems Development: Reflections, Challenges and New Directions},
pages = {499--511},
publisher = {Springer New York},
abstract = {The centrality of users in the design and development of complex systems calls for new methodologies and techniques to identify and represent user needs and to translate them into real processes. This work proposes a methodological approach for the development of automated user-intensive Ambient Intelligence systems. The novelty is that the methodology is grounded on user-centered design. Thus, it al- lows focusing on real people in all the phases of the development cycle: from the requirement analysis towards the deployment of the system.},
keywords = {AAL for the Elderly, Business Process, Requirement Engineering, Smart Environment},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
The centrality of users in the design and development of complex systems calls for new methodologies and techniques to identify and represent user needs and to translate them into real processes. This work proposes a methodological approach for the development of automated user-intensive Ambient Intelligence systems. The novelty is that the methodology is grounded on user-centered design. Thus, it al- lows focusing on real people in all the phases of the development cycle: from the requirement analysis towards the deployment of the system.
2010
Francescomarino, Chiara Di; Leonardi, Chiara; Marchetto, Alessandro; Nguyen, Cu D.; Qureshi, Nauman A.; Sabatucci, Luca; Perini, Anna; Susi, Angelo; Tonella, Paolo; Zancanaro, Massimo
A Bit of" Persona", a Bit of" Goal", a Bit of" Process"... a Recipe for Analyzing User Intensive Software Systems. Proceedings Article
In: iStar 2010 – Proceedings of the 4th International i* Workshop, pp. 36–40, 2010.
Abstract | BibTeX | Tags: AAL for the Elderly, Business Process, Design Process, Goal-Oriented Approach, Requirement Engineering
@inproceedings{difrancescomarinoBitPersonaBit2010,
title = {A Bit of" Persona", a Bit of" Goal", a Bit of" Process"... a Recipe for Analyzing User Intensive Software Systems.},
author = { Chiara Di Francescomarino and Chiara Leonardi and Alessandro Marchetto and Cu D. Nguyen and Nauman A. Qureshi and Luca Sabatucci and Anna Perini and Angelo Susi and Paolo Tonella and Massimo Zancanaro},
year = {2010},
date = {2010-01-01},
booktitle = {iStar 2010 – Proceedings of the 4th International i* Workshop},
volume = {586},
pages = {36--40},
series = {CEUR Workshop Proceedings},
abstract = {The centrality of users in the design and development of complex systems, such as service-based applications, calls for new methodologies and techniques to extract and represent user needs and to translate them into real processes. In this short paper, we describe the integration of concepts and analysis techniques of different approaches, namely Goal-Oriented Requirements Engineering, User-Centred Design and Process-Oriented Modeling, that are being developed in the context of two projects related to Ambient Assisted Living and Internet of Services.},
keywords = {AAL for the Elderly, Business Process, Design Process, Goal-Oriented Approach, Requirement Engineering},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {inproceedings}
}
The centrality of users in the design and development of complex systems, such as service-based applications, calls for new methodologies and techniques to extract and represent user needs and to translate them into real processes. In this short paper, we describe the integration of concepts and analysis techniques of different approaches, namely Goal-Oriented Requirements Engineering, User-Centred Design and Process-Oriented Modeling, that are being developed in the context of two projects related to Ambient Assisted Living and Internet of Services.