Bridging Engineering and Formal Modeling: WebGME and Formula Integration

Emergence of heterogeneous engineering domains that cross disciplinary boundaries lead to design flows that span multiple Domain Specific Modeling Languages (DSML). Analyzing system level behavior and pursuing cross-domain trade-offs requires the semantic integration of modeling domains. Driven by the specific needs of and our experience with design automation tool suites for Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), this paper focuses on using model integration languages as a flexible way for modeling cross-domain interactions. The primary challenge in specifying and supporting model integration languages is that both rapid evolvability and semantic precision are required. This challenge is mapped into a metalevel model integration problem, the integration of a metamodeling language used for specifying DSMLs and configuring the underlying meta-programmable modeling tool WebGME, and a formal framework that uses algebraic data types and Constraint Logic Programming Formula devoted to formally specifying the semantics of DSMLs and model transformations. The primary contribution of the paper is the deep semantic integration of WebGME and Formula that keep the engineering view of an evolving model integration language and its formal representation tightly synchronized.