There have been a number of proposals to split the specification of large and complex systems into a number of inter-related specifications, called viewpoints. Such a model of multiple viewpoints forms the cornerstone of the Open Distributed Processing (ODP) standardisation initiative. We address two of the technical problems concerning the use of formal techniques within multiple viewpoint mod...

This paper discusses the need for a systematic framework which can be used to analyse software processes and derive process models. We propose the idea of process viewpoints which have associated process models and which incorporate questions about process and potential process improvement. The questions associated with each process viewpoint are derived from organisational concerns which must ...

The situation which occurred in a dream provides the framework for discussing properties of the theory of viewpoints and in particular the issue of diierent denotations from diierent perspectives. We introduce the principle of \referent sharing" in communications and argue that common knowledge resulting from communication should only use constants whose referent is \manifest" to the parties in...

The requirements engineering process involves a clear understanding of the requirements of the intended system. This includes the services required of the system, the system users, its environment and associated constraints. This process involves the capture, analysis and resolution of many ideas, perspectives and relationships at varying levels of detail. Requirements methods based on global r...

It has often been observed that many jokes rely on the audience reinterpreting the initial part of the joke once the punchline is encountered. In order to elaborate on this account, we outline how these reinterpretations may happen in various ways. The examples we consider suggest that the generalisation is best stated not in terms of syntactic or even semantic forms, since the same mechanism s...

In this paper, we introduce the knowledge representation based on viewpoints on which relies the KASIMIR system, aimed at decision helping in oncology. The design of viewpoints is considered on both theoretical and practical levels, and takes its place in the range of work on the subject that has a rather long history in the domain of object-based knowledge representation systems. From the theo...