A Multi-Formalism Modeling Framework: Formal Definitions, Model Composition and Solution Strategies

In this paper, we present a multi-formalism modeling framework (abbreviatedby MFMF) for modeling and simulation. The proposed framework is defined basedon the concepts of meta-models and uses object-orientation to overcome thecomplexities and to enhance the extensibility. The framework can be used as a basisfor modeling by various formalisms and to support model composition in a unifiedmanner. The structure of the framework is organized in four layers: (1) the metaformalismlayer, (2) the formalism layer, (3) the class-model layer, and (4) themodel layer. The basic concepts of the framework are formally defined using objectconstraint language (OCL) and have been illustrated using some examples. We havealso explained the model composition structure and the solution strategies of theproposed framework. A prototype tool for the proposed framework is implemented,which is briefly introduced in this paper.

Keywords:

Modeling tool , object-oriented modeling (OOM) , model evaluation , multiformalismmodeling framework (MFMF)