Domain Science and Engineering: A Foundation for Software Development

In this book the author explains domain engineering and the underlying science, and he then shows how we can derive requirements prescriptions for computing systems from domain descriptions. A further motivation is to present domain descriptions, requirements prescriptions, and software design specifications as mathematical quantities.

The author's maxim is that before software can be designed we must understand its requirements, and before requirements can be prescribed we must analyse and describe the domain for which the software is intended. He does this by focusing on what it takes to analyse and describe domains. By a domain we understand a rationally describable discrete dynamics segment of human activity, of natural and man-made artefacts, examples include road, rail and air transport, container terminal ports, manufacturing, trade, healthcare, and urban planning. The book addresses issues of seemingly large systems, not small algorithms, and it emphasizes descriptions as formal, mathematical quantities.

This is the first thorough monograph treatment of the new software engineering phase of software development, one that precedes requirements engineering. It emphasizes a methodological approach by treating, in depth, analysis and description principles, techniques and tools. It does this by basing its domain modeling on fundamental philosophical principles, a view that is new for a computer science monograph.

The book will be of value to computer scientists engaged with formal specifications of software. The author reveals this as a field of interesting problems, most chapters include pointers to further study and exercises drawn from practical engineering and science challenges. The text is supported by a primer to the formal specification language RSL and extensive indexes.

在這本書中，作者解釋了領域工程和其基礎科學，並展示了我們如何從領域描述中推導出計算系統的需求規範。進一步的動機是將領域描述、需求規範和軟體設計規格呈現為數學量。

作者的格言是，在設計軟體之前，我們必須了解其需求，而在規定需求之前，我們必須分析和描述軟體所面向的領域。他通過關注分析和描述領域所需的要素來實現這一點。領域是指人類活動、自然和人造物品的可理性描述的離散動態部分，例如道路、鐵路和航空運輸、集裝箱碼頭、製造業、貿易、醫療保健和城市規劃。本書討論的是看似龐大的系統問題，而不是小型算法，並且強調描述作為正式的、數學量的特性。

這是關於軟體開發的新軟體工程階段的第一本全面的專題論文，該階段在需求工程之前。它強調了一種方法論的方法，通過深入探討分析和描述原則、技術和工具。它通過將其領域建模基於基本的哲學原則，這在計算機科學專題論文中是新的觀點。

這本書對於從事軟體正式規格的計算機科學家非常有價值。作者將其視為一個充滿有趣問題的領域，大多數章節都包含進一步研究和從實際工程和科學挑戰中提取的練習。該文本還附有對正式規格語言RSL的入門指南和廣泛的索引。