User-oriented problem abstractions in scheduling Customization and reuse in scheduling software architectures

In this paper we describe a modeling framework aimed at facilitating the customization and deployment of artificial intelligence (AI) scheduling technology in real-world contexts. Specifically, we describe an architecture aimed at facilitating software product line development in the context of scheduling systems. The framework is based on two layers of abstraction: a first layer providing an interface with the scheduling technology, on top of which we define a formalism to abstract domain-specific concepts. We show how this two-layer modeling framework provides a versatile formalism for defining user-oriented problem abstractions, which is pivotal for facilitating interaction between domain experts and technologists. Moreover, we describe a graphical user interface (GUI)-enhanced tool which allows the domain expert to interact with the underlying core scheduling technology in domain-specific terms. This is achieved by automatically instantiating an abstract GUI template on top of the second modeling layer.