Projects

i-SCOPE:
The latest generation of 3D Urban Information Models (UIM), created from accurate urban-scale geospatial information, can be used to create smart web services based on geometric, semantic, morphological and structural information at urban scale level, which can be used by local governments to: - improve decision-making on issues related to urban planning, city management, environmental protection and energy consumption based on urban pattern and its morphology; - promote inclusion among various users groups (e.g. elder or diversely able citizens) through services which account for barriers at city level; - involve citizens at wider scale by collecting geo-referenced information based on location based services at urban scale. Based on interoperable 3D UIMs, i-SCOPE delivers an open platform on top of which it develops, within different domains, three ‘smart city’ services. These will be piloted and validated, within a number of EU cities which will be actively engaged throughout the project lifecycle. The services will address: 1) Improved inclusion and personal mobility of aging and diversely able citizens through an accurate city-level differently-abled-friendly personal routing service which accounts for detailed urban layout, features and barriers. 2) Optimization of energy consumption through a service for accurate assessment of solar energy potential and energy loss at building level. 3) Environmental monitoring through a real-time environmental noise mapping service leveraging citizen’s involvement will who act as distributed sensors city-wide measuring noise levels through their mobile phones. All smart services will be based on already available technologies which will be integrated, deployed and made publicly available from a “3D smart EU cities” portal. Potential trust, privacy and data security risks and vulnerabilities, i.e. due to localisation of people, are integral part of the project and will be explicitly addressed.

Brussense (2009 → 2012)
The BrusSense team is formed by Matthias Stevens and Ellie D’Hondt, two young and ambitious researchers at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel’s Computer Science Department. It is a continuation and an extension of the NoiseTube project, which investigated participatory techniques for monitoring noise pollution. In particular we turned mobile phones into noise sensors, thus enabling each citizen to measure personal exposure in his or her everyday environment. A collective map of noise pollution is built up by automatic sharing of users’ geolocalized measures within the community. BrusSense will extend this approach towards atmospheric pollution as well as implement a case study in the Brussels Region, an urban area with pollution problems aplenty.

COGNAC (2011 → 2015)
In the future people will be surrounded by devices which will seamlessly cooperate with each other to create a consistent ambient computational environment. To deal with the dynamicity of this environment, resulting from intermittent network connectivity as devices move in and out of contact with each other, new abstractions are required to coordinate the resulting distributed soup of objects residing across the devices. The aim of the COGNAC project is to build upon a formal actor-based concurrency model to provide gradual type system support that statically and dynamically reifies the ownership and location information present in remote object designation concepts. This offers coordination abstractions, such as ambient contracts, that simplifies the programmer’s task of developing and securing applications for devices that cooperate over intermittent network connections. COGNAC is a project funded by FWO and executed in partnership with KUL.
Topic: Coordination and Ownership in Graphs of Networked Actors.

MobiCraNT (2011 → 2013)
Today‘s mobile applications typically run on PDAs, follow a client-server division, and rely on traditional user interfaces such as keyboard, stylus or touchscreen. This landscape is changing swiftly. On the one hand, we see the advent of Smartphones featuring various sensors, RFID-readers and GPS-chips, blurring the distinction between clients and servers of information and thus inducing fluid information spaces. On the other hand, we see the rise of new interface modalities such as voice interaction, digital pen and paper, gestures and so on. These observations lead us to conclude that we are entering an era of mobile cross-media applications that (a) operate in a heterogeneous distributed setting and that (b) interact using cross-media technology. MobiCraNT aims at the development of software engineering principles and patterns for the development of such applications.
Topic: Second Generation Mobile Cross-media Applications: Scalability, Heterogeneity and Legacy.
Website: http://soft.vub.ac.be/mobicrant/start

VariBru 2 (2010 → 2013)
Research project together with Sirris, VUB-WISE, ULB-CoDE and UCL-INGI initiated in the framework of the Brussels Impulse Programme for ICT. It is supported by the Brussels Capital Region.
Topic: Variability in Software-Intensive Product Development.
Website: http://www.varibru.be/

ExaScience (2010 → 2012)
The Software Languages Lab is an active partner in the Flanders ExaScience Lab, one of the Intel research labs in Europe. The lab, a partnership between all Flemish universities, IMEC and Intel, is funded by the IWT and Intel. The lab performs research in High-performance Computing for Exascale systems, using Space Weather prediction as an application driver. Within the Exascience lab, the Software Languages lab focuses on new programming models, techniques and language runtime support for exascale computing.

STADiUM (2009 → 2012)
Contemporary distributed software systems have become extremely heterogeneous, dynamic and large-scale; they may include backend servers, regular PCs, various mobile and ubiquitous devices, plus diverse network infrastructures, such as mobile ad-hoc and wireless sensor networks. The STADiUM project, funded by IWT, addresses this complex context and investigates a next generation management platform that is adaptable to various operational conditions and available system resources. The platform will be based on a middleware architecture that embraces adaptation, a set of reusable service frameworks at the device as well as the distribution level of the middleware, and a family of configuration languages.
Topic: Software Technology for Adaptable Distributed Middleware.
Website: http://distrinet.cs.kuleuven.be/projects/stadium/

RECOCO (2009 → 2012)
Ensuring that software can display different behavior in different use contexts requires adapting software at runtime in dynamically created scopes. Context-oriented Programming (COP) offers dedicated language constructs for performing such dynamically scoped adaptations. However, COP hits a conceptual barrier when new variations of existing program entities are integrated into a running system: Although COP inherently preserves some structural integrity requirements, global state consistency requirements cannot be automatically ensured. Managing dynamically scoped adaptations therefore requires additional application-specific logic from within the system itself. The aim of this FWO project is two-fold: (i) the description of the foundations of Context-oriented Programming that allows systematic reasoning about system-wide consistency, and (ii) the creation of a reflective architecture implementing application-specific policies for dealing with such consistency conflicts.
Topic: Reflective Reconfiguration Support for Context-dependent Software Updates.

SAFE-IS (2009 → 2012)
This FWO project is situated in the domain of the Internet of Things, where computing power is introduced into everyday object that will enable them to communicate with one another and with more traditional computers. This project focuses on such event-intensive software systems where the crux of the problem lies in the volatility and massiveness of the information produced. SAFE-IS will use an integrated approach at tackling these problems, consisting both of an innovative open programming language and an innovative middleware layer.
Topic: Software Abstractions for Event-intensive Systems.

Renaissance (started 2008)
With the change in processor designs and the challenges that come with concurrent and parallel programming, we need to look for new programming paradigms. The need for correctness and the thinking in deterministic algorithms have governed the way we build software. However, with the change to parallel architectures as the norm, it seems that we need to focus on either guaranteed correctness or absolute performance. In this project, we investigate together with IBM Research and the Portland State University how programming models can work in such settings and how we can bound the expected errors to acceptable levels.
Topic: Non-deterministic Programming as the Enabler to Harness the Power of Manycore Computing
Website: http://soft.vub.ac.be/~smarr/renaissance/

CRYPTASC (2007 → 2010)
A large proportion of currently used cryptographic protocols are not provably secure. Rather, in many cases it is a practical computational impossibility that is exploited in order to build cryptographic protocols. Quantum technologies play a central role in this context as it has been recognized that, by coding information into quantum carriers such as single photons, a level of true informational security can be attained. The resulting concept of “quantum cryptography” is now becoming a commercial reality. The ambition of the project CRYPTASC is, one the one hand, to carry out a research programme aiming at the development and valorisation of quantum key distribution in the Brussels region, and, on the second hand, to explore the prospects of quantum technologies for the realization of new cryptographic primitives that go beyond key distribution, such as identification, authentication, and so on. A parallel objective of CRYPTASC is to develop a particularly promising side-product of quantum key distribution techniques, namely very high-rate random number generators.
Topic: Advanced ICT Solutions to CRYPTography, Authentication and Secure Communication.
Website: http://cryptasc.vub.ac.be

MoVES (01/01/2007 → 31/12/2011)
Interuniversity Attraction Pole research project funded by Belgian Science Policy Office in cooperation with Universiteit Antwerpen, Université catholique de Louvain, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Facultés Universitaires Notre-Dame de la Paix Namur, Université de Liège, and KULeuven.
Topic: Modelling, Verification and Evolution of Software.
Website: http://prog.vub.ac.be/moves

VariBru (2007 → 2010)
Research project together with Sirris, VUB-WISE, ULB-CoDE and UCL-INGI initiated in the framework of the Brussels Impulse Programme for ICT. It is supported by the Brussels Capital Region.
Topic: Variability in Software-Intensive Product Development.
Website: http://www.varibru.be/

WIT-CASE (2005 → 2007)
Bilateral Research Project together with Alcatel and KULeuven partly funded by IWT Flanders.
Topic: Workflow Innovations, Technologies and Capabilities for Service-Enabling.

ASPECTLAB (2005 → 2009)
SBO research project funded by IWT Flanders together with UGent, and KULeuven.
Topic: Aspect Oriented Software Development applied.
Website: http://ssel.vub.ac.be/aspectlab

DyBroWS (2005 → 2009)
Research Project funded by FWO Flanders together with UGent.
Topic: Intelligent dynamic brokering of web services based on performance models.

AOSD EUROPE (2004 → 2008)
European Network of Excellence in cooperation with the University of Lancaster (UK), Universiteit Twente (The Netherlands), Univeristy of Darmstadt (Germany), Trinity College Dublin( Ireland), INRIA (France), University of Malaga (Spain), The Technion (Israel), KUL (Belgium), Siemens (Germany) and IBM (UK).
Topic: Virtual European Research Centre on Aspect-Oriented Software Development.
Website: http://www.aosd-europe.net

ORION (2006 → 2007)
ORION is a scientific collaboration project with the Universidad de Chile funded by the Flemish Government. The project brings together experts in the development of reflectively implemented language features for open networks of mobile devices and experts in partial behavioural reflection which work on techniques to optimize the use of reflective hooks while retaining a maximum of expressiveness. The goal of the project is to investigate how these research strengths can be combined to produce practicable open reflective infrastructures for open networks.
Topic: Open Reflective Infrastructure for Open Networks.
Website: http://prog.vub.ac.be/amop/projects/orion

CODAMOS (2003 → 2007)
SBO research project funded by IWT Flanders together with UGent, KULeuven and LUC.
Topic: Context-Driven Adaptation of Mobile Services.
Website: http://www.cs.kuleuven.ac.be/cwis/research/distrinet/projects/CoDAMoS/

Arriba (2002 → 2006)
The aim of this project was to provide a methodology and its associated tools in order to support the integration of disparate business applications that have not necessarily been designed to coexist. Inspiration came from real concerns resulting from an investigative effort on the part of some of the research partners in this consortium; the object of the investigation was the identification of mainstream ICT problems with a representative forum of Belgian enterprises (large and small) that rely on information technology for their critical business activities. An overview of concrete research results can be found in the folder distributed on the project's closing event.
Topic: Architectural Resources for the Restructuring and Integration of Business Applications.
Website: http://arriba.vub.ac.be

Advanced Media Project (2003 → 2005)
The visionary context for this work was to provide an interactive media experience in which people no longer want to “sit back, relax, and consume the media”. Interactive media are the integration of a traditional content component (audio, video, …) with a behavioural component (software). Examples of such behavioural components are online gaming, quiz software, and virtual community worlds. The way in which this kind of software should be produced not only requires an advanced set of development tools but also a different view on development in general. Concretely we advocated a situation in which the interactive media producer writes down a high level specification (using a domain specific language) and pushes a button that automatically generates the corresponding software implementation(s) (using generative programming). All of this with special attention to the evolvability and reusability of the underlying generation system.
Topic: Software Automation and Knowledge Engineering Research Track.
Website: http://prog.vub.ac.be/sake/

Scientific Research Network on Foundations of Software Evolution (2001 → 2005)
The goal of this FWO network was to come to a consistent set of formally-founded techniques and associated tools to support software developers with the common problems they encounter when developing large and complex software systems. The interdisciplinary character of the research network was reflected in the uniform use of mathematical formalisms as a foundation for concrete tools to support software evolution throughout the entire software development life-cycle. This resulted in formally founded tools for forward engineering, reverse engineering, re-engineering and team engineering.
Website: http://prog.vub.ac.be/FFSE/network.html

A Formal Foundation for Software Refactoring (2002 → 2004)
The aim of this FWO-funded project was to provide a solid foundation for software refactoring through the development of a suitable formal model. Graph rewriting was explored as the basis of a lightweight model, facilitating the investigation of basic properties of refactoring, as well as the design of tools supporting the refactoring process.
Website: http://www.lore.ua.ac.be/refactoringProject/

MOSAIC (2002 → 2004)
Bilateral Research Project together with Alcatel partly funded by IWT Flanders.
Topic: Integrating Service Value Enablers in the Mosaic of Access and Edge Network Environments.

Digital Platform VRT - MPEG Project (2001 → 2003)
The MPEG research project aimed to create a competence centre around MPEG in Flanders. It focused on developing a content management system allowing one to manage different kinds of multimedia. Part of the research investigated how existing multimedia can be converted into a digital format so as to enable broadcasting over already existing and future channels and platforms.

3PSPP (2001 → 2002)
Bilateral Research Project together with Alcatel partly funded by IWT Flanders.
Topic: Processes and Tools for 3th party service provisioning for the PSS.

ADAPSIS (2000 → 2002)
IWT project ism Alcatel en Data4S.
Topic: Adaptation of IP Services based on Profiles.

SEESCOA (1999 → 2003)
STWW project – Topproject ism KUL, RUG, LUC en PROG-VUB.
Topic: Software Engineering for Embedded Systems using a Component Approach.

Component Development and Product Assembly in a Software Factory Organisation, Process and Tools - SoFa (1999 → 2002)
Sofa was an IWT-funded research project performed in collaboration with EDS Belgium and MediaGenix.

GeoObjects (1999 → 2001)
IWT project ism TeleAtlas.
Topic: Quality Assurance Mechanisms based on Business-rule Enabling Spatial Objects in Geographic Databases.

Multiservice Network Technologies (1999 → 2001)
ITA-II project - Generisch Basisonderzoek ism RUG, KUL, IMEC, UIA.
Topic: Service Engineering.

Compliance checking in object-oriented systems (1999 → 2000)
This project was performed with the industrial partner Getronics Belgium. Its goal was to study the change propagation problems that occur in software reuse and iterative development, and to investigate the technique of compliance checking as a potential solution to these problems. We investigated mechanisms for compliance checking which verify the consistency between modified or newly added software artifacts with existing artifacts in the system.

Advanced Internet Access (1998 → 2000)\\ITA-II project ism Alcatel Antwerpen.
Topic: Methodologie voor Service Creatie.

Ontwerp en controle van breedbandnetwerken voor multimedia toepassingen (1996 → 1998)
ITA-I project – Generisch Basisonderzoek ism RUG, UIA en IMEC.
Topic: Analyse en Specificatie van Multimedia Diensten.

Data-mining (1995 → 1997)
VUB OZR ism ASYS-VUB.

BALTA (1994 → 1995)
IWT project ism CENTEXBEL.

Modelleren van een productieproces in een textielfabriek.
Matching fund 750000 uitrusting. (1994)
VUB OZR.

INSYDE (1994 → 1996)
Esprit III project ism Humbolt University, Dublin University, Alcatel Antwerpen, Verilog Parijs en Intracom Athene.
Topic: Integrated Methods for System Design.

Integratie van klassieke dataanalyse technieken met gedragsbeschrijvingen zoals die voorkomen in formele specificatietalen (1993 → 1994)
VUB OZR project.

Intelligent netwerkbeheer (1992 → 1996)
NFWO project.

CONSTRUCT (1990 → 1992)
Esprit II project ism Siscog Lissabon en Renault Parijs.
Topic: Computer Assisted Knowledge Engineering for Construction Tasks.

AI Technieken in Computer Netwerk Management (1989 → 1990)
NFWO Krediet aan navorser.

HIPACS (1989 → 1990)
AIM project ism Dienst Radiologie AZ VUB.
Topic: Hospital Integrated Picture Archiving and Communication System - Ontwikkeling van een prototype voor een traffiekmanagement systeem voor een beeldarchiverings en communicatie-systeem in een hospitaalomgeving.

TROTELC (1988 → 1992)
DaD projekt ism Bell-Alcatel.
Ontwikkeling van een tweede generatie expertsysteem voor troubleshooting van printplaten.

Expertsystemen voor netwerkmanagement (1988 → 1992)
VUB OZR project.

Software engineering methodologies and generic tools for domain specific object-oriented frameworks
This was a basic research project set up together with MediaGenix. The goal of the project was to do a scientific analysis of the “reuse” phenomenon in object-oriented frameworks. The outcome of the project was the reuse-contracts methodology which gives a scientific treatment of reuse and the problems it engenders.