An i*-based framework for the computer-aided selection of mobile office devices

Abstract

The mobile office devices market is currently growing, mainly due to the descending cost of wireless technology as well as the high diversity of functions and features covered. Diversity and proliferation become a hard problem when a person or organization aims at selecting the appropriate device for his/her/its particular needs. We propose here a goal-oriented-based framework using i* modelling to produce device recommendations based on personal or business needs. Our approach is built upon three independent models: a market model, which contains descriptions of the current devices offered in the marketplace; a domain model, which states the needs of the person or organization; and a mediator model, which describes the types of devices available. Device recommendations are derived from the interaction of these models. The framework is completed with an architecture based on predicative logical representation of i* models, which is a simple way to implement this approach. We outline an initial and basic Prolog prototype that implements this architecture and shows the technical feasibility of our proposal.