Computing @ Mona | Research

Computing Research at UWI - Mona

Research is very important to the Department of Computing. From animation and visualization to software engineering of complex systems, lecturers in the Department of Computing are studying complex and relevant problems. Our active research groups are listed below.

Amorphous Computing

Supervisor: Dr. Daniel Coore

Overview

A colony of cells, sharing a common genetic code, self-organises to produce an organism. Amorphous Computing seeks to understand the organisational principles behind such phenomena by studying methods for programming computational models of such systems. image: Evolution of a GPL program

Aim:To be able to configure (program) complex systems of locally interacting elements to achieve a prespecified emergent behaviour.

Work in Progress

GPL
A language for specifying patterns. Programs are written in terms of "growing points" that can move across the substrate of particles, depositing material which we view as a pattern.
ECOLI
A language for specifying interactions. Programs are written in terms of responses to events (messages and inputs). A response on one particle triggers an event on its neighbours, and they respond in turn. Programs at this level try to control explosion events.
Simulations
Simulations of physical systems enable us to explore our ideas realistically. Amorphous Computers might be realised in many ways, e.g., silicon based chips, bacteria, nano-machines, or software agents acting in a virtual system. The low level details of each of these systems requires a different implementation. We strive to design flexible and powerful Amorphous Computing simulators without sacrificing performance

Potential Applications

Some applications of amorphous computing include:

  • Smart Structures, e.g.,
    • Stronger bridges
    • active aeroplane wings
    • ergonomically sensitive furniture
    • roads that report traffic loads
  • Manipulating micro-organisms
    • make molecular-scale electronic circuits
    • tag diseased cells
    • dispense drugs to localised sites
    • provide data storage
  • Providing models for:
    • Low cost supercomputing
    • large-scale resource management

Component-Based Software Engineering

Supervisor: Dr. Ezra Mugisa

Overview

Component-based software Engineering (CBSE) is a sub-discipline of software engineering (SE). It shares some of the same strengths and weakness of the discipline of software engineering. One major problem in software engineering is that it is currently an unregulated discipline that is trying to mature into professional status to be like its more mature engineering cousins. CBSE is rooted in reusability, a concept that is relatively new to SE but is well known in mature engineering disciplines.

CBSE is primarily concerned with three functions:

  • Developing software from pre-produced parts
  • The ability to reuse those parts in other applications
  • Easily maintaining and customising those parts to produce new functions and features

These functions are to be found in mature engineering disciplines, where components (or parts) may be bought and sold on the open market.

Work in Progress

MORRESA
Mona Repository of Reusable Software Assets (MORRESA) aims to build a repository of reusable software assets for software development with reuse. MORRESA includes the following sub-projects:
  • The Software Supermarket (SoS): Here we formally specify and design a software repository. We investigate various issues associated specifically with heterogeneous repositories that accommodate multi-type components. We are also interested in an environment that will support the SoS.
  • Reusable Software architecture (RSA) for an accounting information system: We define a reusable software architecture. RSAs are components that will be used to populate the repository.
  • Bridging the gap between UML designs and formal specifications.
  • A Generic Business Transaction System: Here we are looking at investigating a reform of the lifecycle of business transaction systems through application reuse and metamorphosis.

Computer Networking

Supervisor: Dr. Daniel T. Fokum

Overview

In recent years we have witnessed the rising use of networked computer devices for monitoring environments and mobile communications. These use cases require new methods for approaching sensor deployment, protocol design, and information security. Problems that arise in wireless networking environments cannot be solved with the same approaches used for wired networks due to the impact of node mobility and more rapid time variation in the communication channel. From a technical point of view, these problems require proper network and protocol design as well as analysis of the trade-offs of the network parameter choices.

Work in Progress

Optimal acoustic sensor placement
Previous research has shown that optimal sensor placement is a hard problem. In this research we aim to find the best ways to deploy stationary acoustic sensors in an environment to extract events of interest. Some of the research questions that we are investigating include:
  • How do you secure communications between resource-limited acoustic sensors and a base station?
  • How do you determine the best sensor locations to achieve a low number of false shooting reports?
  • Will the performance of the sensor network be improved by factoring in the impact of air temperature and wind speed? By what factor?

Simulation and Visualization

Supervisor: Dr. Ashley G. Hamilton-Taylor

Overview

Knowledge and Data Engineering

Supervisor: Dr. Gunjan Mansingh

Overview