Variabilities as first-class elements in product line architectures of homecare systems

Abstract

A homecare system should adapt to changes regarding the patient needs and to variations in the residential environment. This requires a software architecture designed to support customizations before the deployment (static variability) and changes during the system operation (dynamic variability). We present a comprehensive approach in which both kinds of variabilities are seamless described by means of contracts, which are first-class elements associated with a Product Line architecture. To demonstrate the proposed approach, we present a dynamic contract developed to support a context-aware patient reminder application.