Cross-Domain Reuse: Lessons Learned in a Multi-project Trajectory

Abstract

Systematic reuse has been traditionally associated with a single domain, in which domain analysis leads to a single domain terminology, domain architecture, and intra-domain reuse. The product line movement is an example of that trend. Although reuse of small artifacts has always worked across domains, systematic reuse of more substantial artifacts across domains has not been much explored. In recent years, there has been an interest especially in large European industrial research cooperation programs, to facilitate reuse across disparate domains, to derive the known economic and technological benefits. Progress is being made, but significant challenges remain. Lessons learned in the definition and elaboration of a cross-domain reference architecture over the trajectory of three large projects are described.