Directory UMM :Data Elmu:jurnal:E:Environmental Management and Health:Vol09.Issue1.1998:

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Enviro nme ntal Manage me nt and He alth

9 / 1 [1998] 2 0 –2 1

User requirements and functional specification in

REMSSBOT

Paolo Gallo

Chie f Se nio r Analys t, CSI, Pie mo nte , Italy

Luca Viarengo

Analys t, CSI, Pie mo nte , Italy

The User Analysis phase of the project, which consists of the user needs and require-ments investigation and the functional specifi cation for each of the participating regions, was one of the most important activities of the project. The article presents the procedures followed during this phase and describes the user needs and requirements for the REMSS-BOT project, together with the partners involved in the project and their current IT situations.

The user requirements analysis

P iem on t e w a s t h e lea d er in t h e execu t ion of t h e Us er Req u ir em en t s wor k -p a ck a ge (WP 05) a n d t h e F u n ct ion a l Sp ecifi ca t ion wor k p a ck -a ge (WP 06) of t h e RE M SSBOT p r oject .

WP 05 a ct iv it y a im s a t p r ov id in g t h e d et a iled d es cr ip t ion for t h e or ga n isa t ion a l a n d t ech n ica l sit u a t ion of t h e p a r t n er s p a r t icip a t in g in t h e RE M SSBOT p r oject . T h e com -m on p u blic d ocu -m en t D05.02 Fin a l User N eed s

a n d R equ irem en ts, d eliver ed w it h in t h is a ct iv

-it y, b r in gs t oget h er d ocu m en t s fr om At t ica , P iem on t e a n d Sch eld t p r ov id in g, for ea ch d em on s t r a t or, t h e d escr ip t ion of t h e st r u c-t u r es in volved a n d of c-t h e u s er n eed s a n d r eq u ir em en t s.

User requirements study

T h e a ct iv it y of st u dy in g t h e u ser r eq u ir e-m en t s follow ed t h r ee e-m a in s t e p s: t o p r es en t t h e p a r t n er s in volved in t h e p r oject , t o d escr ib e t h eir cu r r en t IT sit u a t ion s a n d t o p oin t ou t t h eir n eed s a n d r eq u ir em en t s.

T h e RE MSSBOT con ce p t is sh a r in g en v i-r on m en t a l in foi-r m a t ion n ot by bu ild in g a cen t r a lis ed d a t a w a r eh ou s e bu t by k ee p in g d a t a a t t h eir or igin a l loca t ion s.

T h e RE MSSBOT d esign a p p r oa ch con sis t s of on e com m on s y st em a r ch it ect u r e a n d t h r ee d iffer en t im p lem en t a t ion s, t h a t a r e t est ed in d iffer en t fi eld s of a p p lica t ion .

In At t ica t h e ch osen fi eld s of a p p lica t ion of t h e d em on s t r a t or a r e a ir p ollu t ion , solid w a s t e a n d b a t h in g w a t er s. T h e RE MSSBOT At t ica d em on st r a t or a im s a t p r od u cin g a

sin gle, u n ifi ed sy s t em , t h r ou gh w h ich it w ill

b e p oss ible t o a ccess in for m a t ion , collect ed by va r iou s a u t h or it ies. Da t a p r ov id in g u ser s r eq u ir e t h a t RE M SSBOT p r ov id es a ccess t o t h eir d a t a , w it h ou t fu r t h er in t er fer en ce w it h t h e w ay t h eir s y s t em op er a t es.

In P iem on t e t h e ch osen fi eld of a p p lica t ion is t h e m a n a gem en t of t ech n ica l a n d a d m in is-t r a is-t ive p r oced u r e con cer n in g in d u sis-t r ia l p la n t s w it h a r eleva n t r is k of a ccid en t . In or d er t o p r ov id e en v ir on m en t a l p r ot ect ion a n d p eop le sa fet y it is im p or t a n t t o s h a r e in for m a t ion on r isk y in d u st r ia l p r ocess es a m on g d iffer en t p u blic b od ies in volved in t h e con t r ollin g p r oced u r e a n d t o d iss em in a t e in for m a t ion t o t h e p u blic. T h e gen er a l

r eq u ir em en t for t h e P iem on t e r e gion d em on st r a t or is t h a t it effect ively su p p or t s coop er a -t ive a c-t iv i-t y a m on g a ll -t h e d iffer en -t p a r -t n er s in volved in in ves t iga t in g r isk y p la n t s.

In t h e Sch eld t r e gion t h e ch os en fi eld for t h e d em on s t r a t or is t h e w a t er m a n a gem en t of t h e Sch eld t r iver ca t ch m en t . In or d er t o r ea lise a w a t er m a n a gem en t a p p r oa ch , t h e Sch eld t d em on st r a t or ca n p r ov id e a n a ccu -r a t e ove-r v iew of d iffe-r en t k in d s of d a t a .

T h e a ct iv it y p oin t s ou t t h e gen er a l u ser n eed s of t h e p r oject . T h ey m a in ly con cer n t h e id en t ifi ca t ion of t h e ava ila ble in for m a t ion , t h e r et r ieva l a n d a ccess t o m et a in for m a t ion a n d r ea l d a t a . A fu r t h er p r oject r eq u ir em en t is t h e a p p lica t ion a n d t est in g, in a b ou n d ed fi eld , of t h e E E A E TC/ CDS&T Da t a Mod el a n d t h e GE ME T T h esa u r u s (Gen er a l E u r op ea n Mu lt ilin gu a l E n v ir on m en t T h esa u r u s), d evel-op ed by t h e E u r evel-op ea n E n v ir on m en t Agen cy.

T h e st u dy wor k ed ou t on t h e u ser n eed s h a s led t o a n a gr eem en t of com m on gu id elin es, a loca l a n a ly sis by t h e p a r t n er s t o p r od u ce loca l p r elim in a r y d r a ft d ocu m en t s, a n d t h e con solid a t ion of t h e t h r ee p r elim in a r y con t r ibu -t ion s in on e d ocu m en -t (D05.01).

Wit h in t h e WP 05 a ct iv it y gen er a l sh a r in g a n d d iscu ssion w er e a ch ieved a m on g t h e p a r t n er s. A fu r t h er r esu lt w a s a lso t h e con sol-id a t ion of t h e t h r ee fi n a l con t r ibu t ion s in on e com m on d ocu m en t (D05.02), t h a t w a s ch eck ed t h r ou gh p eer r ev iew in g a ct iv it ies. F in a lly t h e D05.02 w a s su b m it t ed t o t h e AN IMATE p r o-ject .

For a ll t h r ee con t r ibu t ion s, t h e p r oject d es cr ib es t h e gen er a l con t ext , t h e p r esen t st a t e a n d evolu t ion , t h e loca l sit u a t ion , r efer -en ces a n d u ser s’ id -en t ifi ca t ion , ob ject ives a n d m a in fea t u r es of t h e d em on st r a t or.

Mor eover, t h e con t en t s h ave b een d iscu ssed a n d s h a r ed a m on g t h e p a r t n er s, b ein g effec-t ively u sefu l for effec-t h e Sy seffec-t em Ar ch ieffec-t eceffec-t u r e An a ly sis wor k -p a ck a ge of t h e p r oject (WP 03).

F u r t h er m or e, t h e u ser r eq u ir em en t s, p oin t ed ou t in t h e D05.02 d ocu m en t , w er e u sefu l in p er for m in g t h e WP 04-E va lu a t ion a ct iv it y of t h e p r oject r esu lt s.

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[ 2 1] Pao lo Gallo and

Luc a Viare ngo Use r re quire me nts and func tio nal spe c ific atio n in REMSSBOT

Enviro nme ntal Manage me nt and He alth

9 / 1 [1 9 9 8 ] 2 0 –2 1

The functional specification phase

of the project

T h is a ct iv it y a im ed a t d efi n in g t h e gen er a l fu n ct ion a l sp ecifi ca t ion of t h e RE MSSBOT sy s t em .

As in t h e a b ove d es cr ib ed WP 05 a ct iv it y, P iem on t e w a s t h e lea d er in t h e execu t ion of t h e WP 06-F u n ct ion a l Sp ecifi ca t ion a ct iv it y.

Wit h in t h is a ct iv it y, a com m on d ocu m en t (D06.01 F u n ct ion a l Sp ecifi ca t ion ) w a s d eliv -er ed . It p r ov id es t h e fu n ct ion a l sp ecifi ca t ion gu id elin es t h e p a r t n er s a s k for for t h e RE M SSBOT p r oject ’s r ea lisa t ion a n d is t h e r esu lt of t h e m er ger of t h e t h r ee d ocu m en t s com in g fr om t h e RE M SSBOT p a r t n er s.

For ea ch in volved r e gion , t h e fu n ct ion a l sp ecifi ca t ion s con cer n :

• t h e p r oject a ct iv it y of a fu n ct ion a l a r ch it ec-t u r e;

• t h e d efi n it ion of a p h y sica l a r ch it ect u r e of t h e in for m a t ion s y st em ;

• t h e id en t ifi ca t ion of a t ech n ica l s t r u ct u r e a s d efi n ed a s p os sible in or d er t o p er for m s u cces s fu lly t h e im p lem en t a t ion a ct iv it y of t h e p r oject ;

• t h e id en t ifi ca t ion of t h e d iffer en t r ea lisa -t ion s-t e p s of -t h e in for m a -t ion s y s-t em . T h e D06.01 d eliver a ble w a s t h e m a in r es u lt of t h e fu n ct ion a l sp ecifi ca t ion ga t h er in g wor k , a n d w a s a n im p or t a n t r efer en ce for t h e fol-low in g WP 07-Im p lem en t a t ion a ct iv it y. It w a s a lso a n im p or t a n t in p u t for t h e Sy s t em Ar ch i-t eci-t u r e d efi n ii-t ion (WP 03).

T h e WP 06 a ct iv it y p oin t ed ou t a gen er a l fu n ct ion a l sp ecifi ca t ion , t h a t in ea ch of t h e t h r ee p a r t icip a t in g r e gion s, t h e u s er s h ave t o b e a ble, w it h ou t a n y k n ow led ge, n eit h er a b ou t t h e w ay t o r et r ieve a n d a cces s in for m a -t ion , n or a b ou -t -t h e com m u n ica -t ion p r o-t ocols, t o select t h e s cop e of t h eir sea r ch .

In a d d it ion t h ey h ave t o b e a ble t o s et s om e con s t r a in t s for t h e sea r ch in g a ct iv it y t h r ou gh t h e RE M SSBOT Ca t a logu e of Da t a Sou r ces R-CDS (w h o, w h a t , w h er e, w h en a p p r oa ch ). Aft er t h e s elect ion of con s t r a in t s t h e u s er s h ave t o b e a ble t o r u n t h eir s ea r ch on m et a in -for m a t ion st or ed in t h e R-CDS, t o r et r ieve a ccess m et a in for m a t ion on ob ject s or in for m a t ion s er v ices a n d fi n a lly t o p r es en t in for -m a t ion in t h e p r op er en v ir on -m en t .

Mor eover, t h e u ser s h ave t o b e a ble t o p r o-v id e in d ica t ion for p r ot ot y p in g a ct io-v it ies, t o a p p r a is e feed b a ck a n d t o u n d er st a n d a n d a ssess t h e R-CDS u s e.

Bot h WP 05-Us er Req u ir em en t s a n d WP 06-F u n ct ion a l Sp ecifi ca t ion s a r e fu n d a m en t a l p h a ses of t h e p r oject ’s s u ccess esp ecia lly for t h e im p or t a n ce of in volv in g u ser s a n d d efi n -in g a n d exp er im en t -in g w it h a n -in t er -r e gion a l in it ia t ive in volv in g t h e co-op er a t ion a m on g p a r t n er s in d iffer en t su b -p r oject s.