What is the purpose of modeling in software engineering?

Answers (2)

A model can mean a lot of things. A model is a map is anything that shows relationships in something else. A model airplane looks like an real airplane but much smaller. A model train may or may not look like a real train, but it is a demonstration of similar principles. A map is a model but has no physical resemblance at all to its subject, except to show relative distances. Here is a map from about 400 AD showing days of travel time for the entire known world: www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-perfect-22-foot-map-for-your-ancient-roman-road-trip

In software, the concept of a map is applied to anything the computer is able to compute, so a map has no physical presence at all. A quadratic equation is a map of a baseball's flight. PV=NRT is a map of all possible conditions of an ideal gas. And so on.

Votes: +0 / -1

A model (often described using UML) is designed by the software architect who must ensure that the proposed system will satisfy given requirements. The development can then be done by independent groups of developers. They can work independently and concurrently thanks to the unifying definitions provided by the model. Software modeling is an integral part of quality management and is required by various standards such as ISO/IEC 15504 (SPICE).

Votes: +0 / -0