Semantic Data Factory: A Framework for Using Domain Knowledge in Software Application Development

This paper addresses the semantic gap between the domain knowledge and software application engineering by proposing a framework for mapping and integrating multiple heterogeneous data sources with application business logic by means of data semantic enrichment, aggregation, filtering and processing. Based on the main drawbacks identified in the current knowledge enhanced software application architectures, a generic framework for automating their development process is proposed. The framework reduces the implementation stage of complex applications to a simple task of editing a configuration file which can be performed even by the domain expert himself. Two use cases of the proposed framework are presented for developing semantically-enhanced applications. The first use case is described within the FP7 GEYSER research project in the context of energy-efficiency, while the second use-case is presented in the e-health context for generating applications over the Fitbit platform.