Many individuals and teams involved on projects are already using agile development techniques as part of their daily work. However, we have much less experience in how to scale and manage agile practices as part of a concerted effort of improvement across an integrated supply-chain for enterprise software delivery. In this paper we discuss the scalability of agile approaches through a detailed case study in agile adoption. In the context of this example we examine how "agility-at-scale" is applied, describe the key scaling factors and their impact on agility, and review some of the rollout and deployment issues that can limit the adoption of agile approaches in practice.

Object-oriented remote sensing software provides the user with flexibility in the way that remotely sensed data are classified through segmentation routines and user-specified fuzzy rules. This paper explores the classification and uncertainty issues associated with aggregating detailed 'sub-objects' to spatially coarser 'super-objects' in object-oriented classifications. We show possibility theory to be an appropriate formalism for managing the uncertainty commonly associated with moving from 'pixels to parcels' in remote sensing. A worked example with habitats demonstrates how possibility theory and its associated necessity function provide measures of certainty and uncertainty and support alternative realizations of the same remotely sensed data that are increasingly required to support different applications.

The Phase 1 Survey is the most comprehensive and widely used national level map of semi-natural habitats in Wales. However, the survey was based largely on field survey and was conducted over several decades, before being completed in 1997. Given that resources for a repeat survey were limited, this study has used an object-orientated rule-based classification implemented within eCognition of multi-temporal satellite sensor data acquired between 2003 and 2006 to map semi-natural habitats and agricultural land across Wales, thereby allowing a progressive update of the Phase 1 Survey. The classification of objects to Phase 1 habitat classes was undertaken in two steps; firstly the landscape of Wales was divided into objects using orthorectified SPOT-5 High Resolution Geometric (HRG) reflectance data (10 m spatial resolution) and Land Parcel Information System (LPIS) boundaries. A rule-base was then developed to progressively discriminate and map the distribution of 105 sub-habitats across Wales based on time-series of SPOT HRG, Terra-1 Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) and Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRS) LISS-3 data, derived datasets (e.g., vegetation indices, fractional images) and ancillary information (e.g., topography). The rules coupled knowledge of ecology and the information content of these remote sensing data using a combination of thresholds, Boolean operations and fuzzy membership functions. A second rule-base was then developed to translate the more detailed sub-habitat classification to Phase 1 habitat classes. Indicative accuracies of the revised Phase 1 mapping, based on comparisons with the later Phase 2 survey (for selected habitats), were >80% overall and typically between 70% and 90% for many classes. Through this exercise, Wales has become the first country in Europe to produce a national map of habitats (as opposed to land cover) through object-orientated classification of satellite sensor data. Furthermore, the approach can be adapted to allow continual monitoring of the extent and condition of habitats and agricultural land.

This paper explores the issues relating to uncertainty in the application of object oriented classifications of remote sensing data. Object oriented remote sensing software such as eCognition (now known as Definiens Developer) provides the user with flexibility in the way that data is classified through segmentation routines and user-specified fuzzy rules. However the aggregation of fuzzy data objects such as pixels to higher level parcels for the purpose of policy reporting is not straightforward. This paper explores the uncertainty issues relating to the aggregation from fine detailed (uncertain) objects of one classification system to coarser grain (uncertain) objects of another classification scheme. We show Possibility Theory to be an appropriate formalism for managing the non-additive uncertainty commonly associated with classified remote sensing data. Results are presented for a small area of upland Wales to illustrate the value of the approach.

Models and model-based transformations are a key part of effective automated software development approaches. Unfortunately, early enthusiasm for Model Driven Architecture (MDA) has dissipated to the point that many people are openly skeptical of the value of any model-driven approach. This paper argues that to be successful, an MDA approach must be executed in context of a sound Enterprise Architecture providing an integrated business architecture and governance structure that enables an organization to respond to business requirements quickly and appropriately. The paper examines the practical realities of MDA, and provides examples, best practices, and heuristics for achieving success with MDA based on IBM's extensive experiences with MDA tooling and technologies.

Summary form only given. A key challenge in software engineering is the design and realization of complex software- intensive systems from assemblies of parts and pieces. Creating successful component-based software solutions depends on there being a close connection between the key business objectives, and the flexible IT technical services that enable this. Current software development patterns and practices have evolved to help create the flexible architectures required to achieve the goals of component-based approaches. With the increasing focus on service-oriented architectures (SOA), we must revisit some of the key architectural concerns for SOA, and enhance the methods, tools, and best practices at the heart of successful service-oriented solutions. The focus of this presentation will be on changing practices for component-based development with SOA, and methods for modeling of service-oriented solutions in support of a broader approach to the analysis, design, construction, and governance of such solutions.

Aim: To evaluate the use of time-series of Landsat sensor data acquired over an annual cycle for mapping semi-natural habitats and agricultural land cover.Location: Berwyn Mountains, North Wales, United Kingdom.Methods: Using eCognition Expert, segmentation of the Landsat sensor data was undertaken for actively managed agricultural land based on Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS) land parcel boundaries, whilst a per-pixel level segmentation was undertaken for all remaining areas. Numerical decision rules based on fuzzy logic that coupled knowledge of ecology and the information content of single and multi-date remotely sensed data and derived products (e.g., vegetation indices) were developed to discriminate vegetation types based primarily on inferred differences in phenology, structure, wetness and productivity.Results: The rule-based classification gave a good representation of the distribution of habitats and agricultural land. The more extensive, contiguous and homogeneous habitats could be mapped with accuracies exceeding 80%, although accuracies were lower for more complex environments (e.g., upland mosaics) or those with broad definition (e.g., semi-improved grasslands).Main conclusions: The application of a rule-based classification to temporal imagery acquired over selected periods within an annual cycle provides a viable approach for mapping and monitoring of habitats and agricultural land in the United Kingdom that could be employed operationally. (c) 2007 International Society for Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing, Inc. (ISPRS). Published by Elsevier B.V.

Models, modeling, and model transformation form the basis for a set of software development approaches that are known as model-driven development (MDD). Models are used in reasoning about a problem domain and the corresponding solution domain for some area of interest. In this paper, we explore model-driven approaches to the realization of solutions for today's enterprise systems. In particular, we describe the key elements of MDD as they have emerged from the support of IBM Rational® for model-driven approaches over more than a decade. We discuss the importance of creating model-to-model and model-to-code transformations that guide the development process, and we review the portfolio of IBM Rational tools in the context of their support for modeling and model-driven development.

Many challenges face organizations as they describe their business domains from a services perspective and transform that understanding of their business into a specific realization targeting a solution infrastructure. However, one of the most pressing problems involves helping organizations to effectively transition to service-oriented design of applications. Great benefit could be gained by using a well-defined, repeatable approach to the modeling of business domains from a services perspective that supports the application of automated approaches to realize a service-based solution. In this paper we explore model-driven approaches to the realization of service-oriented solutions. We describe a services-oriented design approach that utilizes a UML profile for software services as the design notation for expressing the design of a services-oriented solution. We describe how a services model expressed in this UML profile can be transformed into a specific service implementation, and describe the design-to-implementation mapping. We then comment on how these technology elements play in an overall MDD approach for SOA.

Creating service-oriented architecture (SOA) solutions means rethinking the practices currently in use to build systems, reconsidering the skills in an organization, and redefining the ways in which team members collaborate. A service orientation contributes to the development of solutions that are assembled from disparate applications, and SOA is an architectural style that emphasizes loose coupling of independent service providers. This perspective on service orientation is known as service-oriented development of applications (SODA). SODA encompasses composition, adaptive process management, service-based interoperability and integration, discovery and description, and rapid application maintenance. In this paper, we focus on how IBM supports SODA, the relationship of SODA to the IBM Rational Software Development Platform (RSDP), and how IBM's core approach to design and construction—model-driven development—is an essential element in creating effective and efficient services and service-oriented solutions. We explore the concepts behind these approaches and illustrate their realization with illustrative examples from customer experiences.

Innovation is crucial both to the survival and growth of small businesses and to their competitive positions. However, the role that innovation in small business plays is still unclear and difficult to assess. The objective of this paper is to provide a synthesized picture of the role of technological innovation on the advancement of small business research. We have reviewed and analyzed all technological innovation-related papers published in six main small business journals for the period 1990-1996. Moreover, described briefly are the objectives, methods used, sample size, and industry studied by each study. A number of conclusions have been drawn: 1) small business researchers have devoted their efforts in investigating innovation from different perspectives; 2) the small business sector is an important driving force for innovation and that it can be as innovative as larger businesses; 3) research from the organization oriented stream has revealed that a number of factors can be considered by small business owners and/or managers to enhance innovation performance; and 4) the projectoriented stream has displayed that customers can be important sources of innovations for small businesses. The paper also suggests some areas for further research.