Software quality model for the evaluation of semantic technologies

Abstract

In order to obtain high-quality software products, the specification and evaluation of quality during the software development process is of crucial importance. One important component in software evaluation is the software quality model, since it provides the basis for software evaluation and gives a better insight of the software characteristics that influence its quality. Furthermore, quality models also ensure a consistent terminology for software product quality and provide guidance for its measurement.
In recent years, semantic technologies have started to gain importance and, as the field becomes more and more popular, the number of these technologies is increasing exponentially. Just as with any other software product, the quality of semantic technologies is an important concern, and multiple evaluations of semantic technologies have been performed. However, the problem is that there is no consistent terminology for describing the quality of semantic technologies and it is difficult to compare them because of differences in the meaning of the evaluation characteristics used. Also, existing software quality models do not define those quality characteristics that are specific to semantic technologies.
This thesis presents a quality model for semantic technologies which aims to provide a common ground in the field of semantic technology evaluation. It also presents a new method for extending software quality models, based on a bottom-up approach, that is used to define the quality model for semantic technologies. Finally, this thesis describes the use of the semantic technology quality model in a web application that visualizes semantic technology evaluation results and provides semantic technology recommendations.