Approximate retrieval of incomplete and formal specifications applied to vertical reuse

This paper describes how ARIFS tool (Approximate Retrieval of Incomplete and Formal Specifications) provides a suitable reusing environment to classify, retrieve and adapt formal and incomplete requirements specifications. Both classification and retrieval tasks are based on functional similarities according to structural and semantic closeness. To this effect, we define four partial orderings among reusable components and different measures to quantify functional differences among them. By using these measures we are able to offer an approximate and efficient retrieval, without formal proofs, and to predict adaptation efforts to satisfy the required functional specification. This paper focus on semantic similarities as they are more remarkable in vertical reuse, that is, the reuse of software within same domain or application area.