Generic Modeling Environment
Generic Modeling Environment (GME) is a model-integrated program synthesis tool for creating domain-specific models of large-scale systems. GME allows users to define new modeling languages using UML-based metamodels. GME was developed by the Institute for Software Integrated Systems at Vanderbilt University.
The Generic Modeling Environment is a configurable toolkit for creating domain-specific modeling and program synthesis environments. The configuration is accomplished through metamodels specifying the modeling paradigm (modeling language) of the application domain. The modeling paradigm contains all the syntactic, semantic, and presentation information regarding the domain; which concepts will be used to construct models, what relationships may exist among those concepts, how the concepts may be organized and viewed by the modeler, and rules governing the construction of models. The modeling paradigm defines the family of models that can be created using the resultant modeling environment.
The metamodeling language is based on the UML class diagram notation and OCL constraints. The metamodels specifying the modeling paradigm are used to automatically generate the target domain-specific environment. The generated domain-specific environment is then used to build domain models that are stored in a model database or in XML format. These models are used to automatically generate the applications or to synthesize input to different COTS analysis tools.
GME has a modular, extensible architecture that uses MS COM for integration. GME is easily extensible; external components can be written in any language that supports COM (C++, Visual Basic, C#, Python etc.). GME has many advanced features. A built-in constraint manager enforces all domain constraints during model building. GME supports multiple aspect modeling. It provides metamodel composition for reusing and combining existing modeling languages and language concepts. It supports model libraries for reuse at the model level. All GME modeling languages provide type inheritance. Model visualization is customizable through decorator interfaces.