MODELFY: A Model-driven Solution for Decision Making based on Fuzzy Information

• Published in: J.UCS (Annual print and CD-ROM archive ed.) Vol. 28; no. 5; pp. 445 - 474
• Main Authors: Castañeda, María, G. Merayo, Mercedes, Boubeta-Puig, Juan, Calvo, Iván
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Bristol Pensoft Publishers 01.01.2022; Graz University of Technology
• Subjects: Data analysis; Decision making; Design; DSML; Fuzzy automata; Information management; Model-driven engineering; Robots; Subject specialists
• ISSN: 0948-695X; 0948-6968
• DOI: 10.3897/jucs.76030

There exist areas, such as the disease prevention or inclement weather protocols, in which the analysis of the information based on strict protocols require a high level of rigor and security. In this situation, it would be desirable to apply formal methodologies that provide these features. In this scope, recently, it has been proposed a formalism, fuzzy automaton , that captures two relevant aspects for fuzzy information analysis: imprecision and uncertainty. However, the models should be designed by domain experts, who have the required knowledge for the design of the processes, but do not have the necessary technical knowledge. To address this limitation, this paper proposes MODELFY, a novel model-driven solution for designing a decision-making process based on fuzzy automata that allows users to abstract from technical complexities. With this goal in mind, we have developed a framework for fuzzy automaton model design based on a Domain- Specific Modeling Language (DSML) and a graphical editor. To improve the interoperability and functionality of this framework, it also includes a model-to-text transformation that translates the models designed by using the graphical editor into a format that can be used by a tool for data anal- ysis. The practical value of this proposal is also evaluated through a non-trivial medical protocol for detecting potential heart problems. The results confirm that MODELFY is useful for defining such a protocol in a user-friendly and rigorous manner, bringing fuzzy automata closer to domain experts.