Workshop on Science of Design for Information Systems

University Of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison WI

Investigators

Abstract

This award supports a workshop on Science of Design for Information Systems (SDIS03), held in September 16 - 17, 2003, in Seattle, Washington, in conjunction with the NSF Information and Data Management Principal Investigators' Workshop (IDM03), to leverage the presence of many IDM03 attendees. The objective of the SDIS03 workshop is to bring together researchers and practitioners to discuss Information Systems Design, and its role in the broader context of Software Systems Design. The workshop will be organized by the PIs, Raghu Ramakrishnan, University of Wisconsin - Madison and Alon Halevy, University of Washington, in collaboration with Dr. Philip Bernstein at Microsoft Research. The role of data, and the importance of technologies that support data access, maintenance, and evolution, is widely recognized as a central aspect of complex software systems. Understanding how to design the data-oriented aspects of an application is therefore an essential step in developing a "Science of Design" that will revolutionize the design, implementation, maintenance and evolution of complex software systems, including information systems. The SDIS03 workshop's 20 - 30 participants discuss the following issues: (1) Research challenges in developing a rigorous science of information systems design, and translating it to practice. The technical scope includes design methodologies, design tools, and enhanced mechanisms in information management systems to better support design goals. (2) The skill set and experience that must be brought together to advance the science of information systems design. (3) NSF- and other sectors-supported activities that could facilitate progress in this area. A workshop report summarizing the discussions, together with specific recommendations on developing activities to support research in Science of Design and additional workshop material can be found at the SDIS03 Web site (http://www2.cs.washington.edu/nsf2003/sdis2003).