- Irvine, California, United States
Walt Scacchi
University of California, Irvine, Institute for Software Research, Faculty Member
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Walt Scacchi, Ph.D. is senior research scientist and research faculty member in the Institute for Software Research, ... moreWalt Scacchi, Ph.D. is senior research scientist and research faculty member in the Institute for Software Research, and also Director of Research at the Institute for Virtual Environments and Computer Games, both at University of California, Irvine. His research interests include open source software development, computer game culture and technology, virtual worlds for modeling and simulating complex socio-technical processes, software acquisition, and secure open architecture systems. Dr. Scacchi is an active researcher with more than 200 research publications, and has directed more than 70 externally funded research projects. edit
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In spite of numerous research efforts, much software documentation continues to be unusable and/or unused. Current formulation of the software documentation problem is described in terms of two sets of problem variables characterizing the... more
In spite of numerous research efforts, much software documentation continues to be unusable and/or unused. Current formulation of the software documentation problem is described in terms of two sets of problem variables characterizing the documentation products and processes. This research shows that attributes of the computing setting affect the documentation products and processes. The setting attributes are therefore an important set of problem variables that need to be considered when developing solutions to the software documentation problem. The study empirically examines the effect of three setting attributes on the patterns of production and consumption of documents in real software projects. It proposes and validates a set of hypotheses that define relationships between the documentation settings, products, and processes. The study also shows that accounting for the setting attributes reveals that the software documentation problem is inherently an open system problem. Open systems assume that the information about the world being modeled is never complete. The study indicates that current solution approaches to the documentation problem are solutions only in the closed system perspective. Applying current solutions of the documentation problem does not and cannot therefore generate effective solutions. The verified hypotheses define empirically grounded relationships between the documentation settings, processes, and products. It suggests a documentation model that constitutes a new solution approach to the documentation problem. The model describes mechanisms to achieve solution alternative (local closures) for the software documentation problem. It is therefore a solution approach that addresses the documentation problem as it has always been: an open system problem. (Copies available exclusively from Micrographics Department, Doheny Library, USC, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0182.)
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This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 8th International IFIP WG 2.13 Conference on Open Source Systems, OSS 2012, held in Hammamet, Tunisia, in September 2012. The 15 revised full papers presented together with 17... more
This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the 8th International IFIP WG 2.13 Conference on Open Source Systems, OSS 2012, held in Hammamet, Tunisia, in September 2012. The 15 revised full papers presented together with 17 lightning talks, 2 tool demonstration papers, 6 short industry papers, 5 posters and 2 workshop papers were carefully reviewed and selected from 63 submissions. The papers are organized in topical sections on collaboration and forks in OSS projects, community issues, open education and peer-production models, integration and architecture, business ecosystems, adoption and evolution of OSS, OSS quality, OSS in different domains, product development, and industrial experiences.
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Attendance and Software
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Psychology, Neurology, Rehabilitation, Augmented Reality, Electroencephalography, and 15 moreMedicine, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Stroke, Clinical research, Physical Rehabilitation, Motor, Therapy, Coherence, Two Stroke Engine, Clinical Sciences, Parietal Lobe, Behavioral and Social Science Research, Neurosciences, Nervous System Diseases, and Brain Disorders
Introduction: High doses of activity-based rehabilitation therapy help but many patients do not receive this, e.g., due to access, cost, and low compliance. Home-based telerehabilitation (TR) can address these issues. A prior study found... more
Introduction: High doses of activity-based rehabilitation therapy help but many patients do not receive this, e.g., due to access, cost, and low compliance. Home-based telerehabilitation (TR) can address these issues. A prior study found 6 weeks of TR targeting arm motor deficits after stroke comparably efficacious vs. therapy delivered in-clinic. Here, we evaluated a program expanded in TR dose and scope. Methods: Adults with stroke and arm motor deficits saw a licensed OT/PT who performed a live exam then supervised home-based TR (6 days/week, 1 hour/day) through games, exercises, and education. New features examined herein included (a) extending therapy to 12 weeks, (b) treating both arm and leg motor deficits, (c) augmented reality games, (d) wireless smart devices, (e) ingesting a daily experimental (placebo) pill, (f) using functional objects, (g) evaluating social networks, and (h) automated actionable reports. Results: Patients (n=13) were median age 61 [IQR=52-65.5], and 12...
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Introduction: Emerging brain mapping methods measure function of individual brain circuits and have the potential to predict a patient’s gains and needs in the context of stroke rehabilitation. We recently described a motor-parietal... more
Introduction: Emerging brain mapping methods measure function of individual brain circuits and have the potential to predict a patient’s gains and needs in the context of stroke rehabilitation. We recently described a motor-parietal circuit underlying visuomotor tracking and defined an EEG coherence measure (reflecting connectivity) that predicts visuomotor learning. Here we test the hypothesis that this EEG metric predicts visuomotor learning after stroke. Methods: After baseline dense-array resting EEG, patients with chronic hemiparetic stroke were provided with a home-based gaming system. During 9 half-hour training sessions, patients played games in which the stroke-affected arm tracked objects moving on the tabletop. Games were implemented using augmented reality, which we have found has advantages for motor training and in which virtual objects are projected into the real world and modified during game play. Results: Subjects (n=12) had affected arm Box&Blocks score of 15±12 a...
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Objective To evaluate the effect of intensive rehabilitation on the modified Rankin Scale (mRS), a measure of activities limitation commonly used in acute stroke studies, and to define the specific changes in body structure/function... more
Objective To evaluate the effect of intensive rehabilitation on the modified Rankin Scale (mRS), a measure of activities limitation commonly used in acute stroke studies, and to define the specific changes in body structure/function (motor impairment) most related to mRS gains. Methods Patients were enrolled >90 days poststroke. Each was evaluated before and 30 days after a 6-week course of daily rehabilitation targeting the arm. Activity gains, measured using the mRS, were examined and compared to body structure/function gains, measured using the Fugl-Meyer (FM) motor scale. Additional analyses examined whether activity gains were more strongly related to specific body structure/function gains. Results At baseline (160 ± 48 days poststroke), patients (n = 77) had median mRS score of 3 (interquartile range, 2–3), decreasing to 2 [2–3] 30 days posttherapy (p < 0.0001). Similarly, the proportion of patients with mRS score ≤2 increased from 46.8% at baseline to 66.2% at 30 days p...
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This book collects the proceedings of the Second International Conference on Open Software - OSS 2006, held in Como, Italy in June, 2006, where researchers from all over the world discussed how OSS is produced, its huge potential for... more
This book collects the proceedings of the Second International Conference on Open Software - OSS 2006, held in Como, Italy in June, 2006, where researchers from all over the world discussed how OSS is produced, its huge potential for innovative applications and in groundbreaking OSS business models. The book takes an important step toward appreciation of the OSS phenomenon, presenting 20 refereed full papers and 12 more in shorter form.
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Computer games represent a significant software application domain for innovative research in software engineering techniques and technologies. Game developers, whether focusing on entertainment-market opportunities or game-based... more
Computer games represent a significant software application domain for innovative research in software engineering techniques and technologies. Game developers, whether focusing on entertainment-market opportunities or game-based applications in non-entertainment domains, thus share a common interest with software engineers and developers on how to best engineer game software. Featuring contributions from leading experts in software engineering, the book provides a comprehensive introduction to computer game software development that includes its history as well as emerging research on the interaction between these two traditionally distinct fields. An ideal reference for software engineers, developers, and researchers, this book explores game programming and development from a software engineering perspective. It introduces the latest research in computer game software engineering (CGSE) and covers topics such as HALO (Highly Addictive, socially Optimized) software engineering, multi-player outdoor smartphone games, gamifying sports software, and artificial intelligence in games. The book explores the use of games in software engineering education extensively. It also covers game software requirements engineering, game software architecture and design approaches, game software testing and usability assessment, game development frameworks and reusability techniques, and game scalability infrastructure, including support for mobile devices and web-based services.
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There are many papers about projects that release their software as open source. Our panel looks at why open source is a good idea for education, and how it can best be leveraged. The panel represents industry and academia and its members... more
There are many papers about projects that release their software as open source. Our panel looks at why open source is a good idea for education, and how it can best be leveraged. The panel represents industry and academia and its members have years of experience in the field. Specific questions that panelists will address, in addition to their position statements, are: What makes open source particularly attractive for educators and students' What are barriers to use? What areas of computer science and what levels of study are most appropriate for introducing open source? Finally, this panel takes a step back and looks at the broad issues associated with using that software in education. We will mention the specific details of releasing, curating, licensing and using open source software. But most of all this panel wants to explore how, for educators, open source works. We believe it is because open source fosters an ecosystem of collaborators who can pool resources and expertise to build new collaborative ways of solving hard research projects. We look forward to the contributions from the audience and energetic debate.
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Bioinformatics, Computer Science, Software Engineering, Communication, Life Sciences, and 15 moreWorkflow, Distributed System, Automation, Interdisciplinary research, Workflow Management Systems, Social and Behavioral Sciences, System Information, Workflow Technology, Computer Supported Cooperative Work, Software Process, Databases and Information/Programming Systems, Science and Technology Studies, Computer Sciences, Information System, and Workflow Management
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Welcome to the 3rd ICSE Workshop on Games and Software Engineering (GAS): Engineering Computer Games to Enable Positive, Progressive Change is held on May 18, 2013 in San Francisco, U.S.A., located with the 2013 ACM/IEEE International... more
Welcome to the 3rd ICSE Workshop on Games and Software Engineering (GAS): Engineering Computer Games to Enable Positive, Progressive Change is held on May 18, 2013 in San Francisco, U.S.A., located with the 2013 ACM/IEEE International Conference on Software Engineering. We are pleased to build upon the first two ICSE GAS Workshops and provide a forum to interactively explore leading edge research in game software engineering from a number of perspectives, including (1) how the challenging requirements (functional and non-functional) of games influence methodologies; (2) the role of games in education, whether as projects in courses, a teaching tool to complement traditional lectures, or in student competitions to motivate and reward GAS skills; (3) exploring reuse in GAS to reduce development time, improve software quality through the use of product lines, libraries, frameworks, engines, domain assets, and game modifications by the player; (4) revisit scalability and alternative platforms from the technical viewpoint (mini-games for phones to massive open on-line courses).
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In recent years, software process technology has emerged as a promising direction in the study of new methodologies for large-scale software development. Research into software processes has been focused in two directions. (1) Modeling of... more
In recent years, software process technology has emerged as a promising direction in the study of new methodologies for large-scale software development. Research into software processes has been focused in two directions. (1) Modeling of software processes which proposes formalisms for specifying software processes, called Software Process Models (SPMs); (2) Enactment of SPMs which guides developers through software development. However, such research does not address issues of analyzing, validating, and articulating SPMs that are created by a process formalism and executed during SPM enactment. Users must rely on their own skill and knowledge of process modeling to define a customized SPM. Even worse, to accommodate environmental changes during SPM enactment, they have to update an SPM without any automated support. This makes it very difficult to integrate SPM enactment into a software engineering environment. The Articulator system presented in this dissertation supports modeling and analyzing software processes, and recovering from process breakdown during SPM enactment. The Articulator incorporates an object-oriented representation of software processes and process breakdown using a process meta-model. This meta-model enables the static analysis of SPMs as to help users describe and validate their own software processes. Static analysis of SPMs includes: an SPM definition methodology, mechanisms for checking SPM definitions, and mechanisms for process visualization. This meta-model also enables the dynamic analysis of SPMs to help users estimate and adjust the dynamics of SPM enactment, recover from process breakdown during enactment, and evolve software processes through dynamic changes. Dynamic analysis of SPMs utilizes process simulation and articulation. As such, a number of case studies that utilize process modeling and analysis are discussed which cover both academic and industrial applications. Overall, the long-term goal of this research is to create a process-driven software engineering environment that integrates process modeling, analysis, and enactment with new or existing software tools. Such an environment would provide users with process-guided activity execution, resource management, and tool invocation. In the future, such an experiment can be undertaken to integrate the Articulator system with a commercial software engineering environment. (Copies available exclusively from Micrographics Department, Doheny Library, USC, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0182.)
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Introduction:High doses of activity-based rehabilitation therapy improve outcomes after stroke, but many patients do not receive this for various reasons such as poor access, transportation difficulties, and low compliance. Home-based... more
Introduction:High doses of activity-based rehabilitation therapy improve outcomes after stroke, but many patients do not receive this for various reasons such as poor access, transportation difficulties, and low compliance. Home-based telerehabilitation (TR) can address these issues. The current study evaluated the feasibility of an expanded TR program.Methods:Under the supervision of a licensed therapist, adults with stroke and limb weakness received home-based TR (1 h/day, 6 days/week) delivered using games and exercises. New features examined include extending therapy to 12 weeks duration, treating both arm and leg motor deficits, patient assessments performed with no therapist supervision, adding sensors to real objects, ingesting a daily experimental (placebo) pill, and generating automated actionable reports.Results:Enrollees (n= 13) were median age 61 (IQR 52–65.5), and 129 (52–486) days post-stroke. Patients initiated therapy on 79.9% of assigned days and completed therapy o...
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Prepared for the Computing Community Consortium (CCC) ... Walt Scacchi, Kevin Crowston, Chris Jensen, Greg Madey, Megan Squire Thomas Alspaugh, Les Gasser, Scott Hissam, Yuzo Kanomata, Hamid Ekbia, Kangning Wei, Charles Schweik and others... more
Prepared for the Computing Community Consortium (CCC) ... Walt Scacchi, Kevin Crowston, Chris Jensen, Greg Madey, Megan Squire Thomas Alspaugh, Les Gasser, Scott Hissam, Yuzo Kanomata, Hamid Ekbia, Kangning Wei, Charles Schweik and others from the 2010 FOSS Workshop on the Future of Research in Free/Open Source ... Newport Beach, CA 10-12 February 2010 http://foss2010.isr.uci.edu ... Part I The Science of FOSS........................... ..........................................................12 ... What are open source systems and what are FOSS ...
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3What is free/open source software development? • Free (as in “freedom”) vs. open source – Freedom to access, browse/view, study, modify and redistribute the source code – Free is always open, but open is not always free • F/OSSD is not... more
3What is free/open source software development? • Free (as in “freedom”) vs. open source – Freedom to access, browse/view, study, modify and redistribute the source code – Free is always open, but open is not always free • F/OSSD is not “software engineering” – Different: F/OSSD can be faster, better, and cheaper than SE • F/OSSD involves more software development tools, Web resources, and personal computing resources, compared to traditional SE methods. 4Who is investing in F/OSSD?
Building on the success of the first four workshops in the series, which were held at ICSE 2001 (Toronto), ICSE 2002 (Orlando), ICSE 2003 (Portland) and ICSE 2004 (Edinburgh), the 5 th Workshop on Open Source Software Engineering,... more
Building on the success of the first four workshops in the series, which were held at ICSE 2001 (Toronto), ICSE 2002 (Orlando), ICSE 2003 (Portland) and ICSE 2004 (Edinburgh), the 5 th Workshop on Open Source Software Engineering, ("Open Source Application Spaces") brought together researchers and practitioners for the purpose of building a roadmap of the ways in which various computing application spaces have been impacted by open source software and also by open source development methods, tools and organizational structures.