SwSE’s research focuses on critical evolutionary systems. These systems change over time (“evolve”), are strategically important to their users (“critics”), and are heavily dependent on software. These systems must be predictable, reliable, and work in environments that are flexible due to long-term evolutionary change and new adaptation needs. In particular, research will continue in the main streams of the group:
Dynamic Architecture and Systems (DAS): Analysis of structural and behavioral aspects of adaptive systems and architectures and their development in heterogeneous environments (IoT, Clouds, Embedded, …)
Software Quality (SQ): Analysis and development of tools to improve product quality and software maintenance, testing and reliability. Extraction and analysis of data from software archives (Mining Software Repository) for the development of decision-making tools (“recommendations”) for the support of developers and project managers during the software development process.
Continuous Agile and Lean Process Innovation (CALPI): Development of methods and tools based on innovative practices such as agile and lean approaches to improve integration and increasing continuity between software development and system operation. Applications of DevOps methods in software start-ups. Analysis of system vulnerabilities and anomalies in DevOps.
Software engineering training and education (SETE): research in innovative and educational techniques and tools to improve software development in production and educational ecosystems.
The main application areas of the technologies we develop are:
• Software and System Analytics
• Process improvement
• Testing and Verification of Software and Systems
• Cloud / Edge, and IoT Platforms and Architectures
• Visualization Tools for Teamwork and Team Learning
• Tools and technologies for Learning, Teaching, and Assessment
• Methods and Tools to Support Team Collaboration / Coordination
• Productivity Tools for Software Developers
• Green Software
The SwSE research centre is situated in the charming town of Bozen-Bolzano in South Tyrol at the heart of the Dolomites – the pink mountains of the Alps. The nature around the city is a tourist haven for people interested in hiking in the mountains, mountain climbers, biking along the valley and in winter skiing brings millions of turists to the area. The city is trilingual between the major languages Italian and German and the minority language Ladin. Due to the large degree of tourism in the city, the majority of the population also speaks English. The colourful medieval, Gothic and Belle Époque buildings, with their stepped gables, turrets and attractively faded frescoes, have a north European feel. Yet the main commercial street feels Mediterranean, and at Piazza delle Erbe, described with pleasure by Goethe in his Italian Journey, the two flavours meet. Some of the cosiest bars and cafés are hidden behind the stalls of fruit and flowers, spices and cheeses. Bolzano is also the home of Ötzi the Iceman; found in melting glacier ice in 1991 he is one of the oldest human mummies at roughly 5000 years.