Domain Knowledge Discovery Guided by Software Trace Links

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel method that uses trace links in software projects to guide the discovery of domain knowledge, aiding complex engineering tasks by mining relevant facts efficiently.

Contribution

The approach leverages trace links to guide domain knowledge mining, reducing manual effort and improving accuracy in complex technical domains.

Findings

Effective in complex technical domains

Facilitates impact analysis and compliance tasks

Supports project Q&A with mined domain facts

Abstract

Software-intensive projects are specified and modeled using domain terminology. Knowledge of the domain terminology is necessary for performing many Software Engineering tasks such as impact analysis, compliance verification, and safety certification. However, discovering domain terminology and reasoning about their interrelationships for highly technical software and system engineering domains is a complex task which requires significant domain expertise and human effort. In this paper, we present a novel approach for leveraging trace links in software intensive systems to guide the process of mining facts that contain domain knowledge. The trace links which drive our mining process, define relationships between artifacts such as regulations and requirements and enable a guided search through high-yield combinations of domain terms. Our proof-of-concept evaluation shows that our approach aids in the discovery of domain facts even in highly complex technical domains. These domain facts can provide support for a variety of Software Engineering activities. As a use case, we demonstrate how the mined facts can facilitate the task of project Q&A.