An Approach for Modeling and Analyzing Crosscutting Concerns

Aspect-oriented software development (AOSD) is a promising technique for modeling crosscutting concerns, but formal specification and analysis of AOSD concerns is not well exploited. In this paper, we propose an approach for formally modeling and analyzing crosscutting concerns in software. We designed an aspect-oriented Petri net with AOSD mechanisms for identifying and modularizing crosscutting concerns. In order to analyze concern interactions and other properties, we developed an automated approach for formally analyzing the software design using a model checking technique. We demonstrate the effectiveness and feasibility of our approach through modeling and analyzing a clinical diagnostic system.