A Generic Architectural Model Approach for Efficient Utilization of Patterns: Application in the Mobile Domain

Background

Patterns are now widely used method for documenting and sharing verified design knowledge in the software engineering discipline. Their essential elements include (Gamma et al., 1995): the pattern name, the description of the design problem and its context, the solution describing elements, their responsibilities and collaborations, and the consequences of applying the patterns, e.g., the benefits and trade-offs. There is exhaustive number of patterns available from different sources, in varying quality. These sources include:

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  Widely known pattern catalogs published as books. These patterns can be expected to have gone through the review process, as the published patterns above, and/or their authors are known experts in the field. Usually, these patterns are widely acknowledged and used, and, hence, can be useful for documentation and knowledge transfer.

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  Patterns and pattern catalogs published in journals, conferences, or workshops. These patterns have been shepherded and then peer-reviewed by others.

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  Patterns from free resources (e.g., self-published articles on the Internet). No review process can be assumed for these patterns.