Using Problem Frames to Model the Requirements of a System for Monitoring Dangerous Goods Transportation

The approach to requirements modelling based on problem frames is gaining increasing attention and popularity. This paper reports an experience in the application of problem frames to modelling the requirements of a system for monitoring the transportation of dangerous goods (namely, petrol and other types of fuels) by trucks. The paper shows that in general the main requirements of the system can be modelled by means of problem frames or problem frame compositions. In the considered system, the requirements are deeply affected by the central role played by the database that stores the data collected from trucks. In one case, the presence of the database made it difficult to identify a problem frame, among those available, to describe the user requirements: this resulted in the proposal for a new problem frame. Another consequence of the presence of the database is that several frame compositions are structured according to a sequential pattern, governed by accesses to the database.