This paper presents a data structure based on Sparse Spatial Selection (SSS) for similarity searching. An algorithm that tries periodically to adjust pivots to the use of database index is presented. This index is dynamic. In this way, it is…

During the last years a lot of projects and lines of research have emerged from different proposals trying to find the best way to reach data integration. Two powerful techniques have appeared separately – ontology and contextual information – in…

The Semantic Web attempts to reach a state in the future where everything on the Web will no longer be only machine-readable, but also machine-understandable. An ontology is an explicit specification of a conceptualization. A conceptualization is an abstract, simplified…

The concept of “approximate” searching has applications in a vast number of fields. Some examples are non-traditional databases (e. g. storing images, fingerprints or audio clips, where the concept of exact search is of no use and we search instead…

The term “Federated Databases” refers to the data integration of distributed, autonomous and heterogeneous databases. However, a federation can also include information systems, not only databases. When integrating data, several issues must be addressed. Here, we focus on the problem…

Product-line architectures, i.e. a software architecture and component set shared by a family of products, represents a promising approach to achieving reuse of software. Several companies are initiating or have recently adopted a product-line architecture. However, little experience is available…

Applying design patterns is considered a helpful technique for designing software systems.
Patterns description, however, results not sufficiently precise providing a weak understanding and making it difficult to be certain when a pattern is being used correctly. We have formally…

During recent years, new software engineering paradigms like component-based software engineering and COTS-based development have emerged. Both paradigms are concerned with reuse and customisation of existing components. The use of COTS software has become more and more important in state-of-the-art…

The development of languages allowing a proper handling of time is important in many areas of computer science because the capability to deal with the notions of change and time are essential to solve their problems.
In the development of…

Requirements capture user needs about a system [KG99]. They stand for those functional and nonfunctional attributes the system must posses to be considered correct. Requirements also dictate how the system should respond to user interaction. Therefore, they play a very…