An UML profile for the modelling of mobile business processes and workflows

Thanks to the progress in the field of mobile computing hardware (e.g. PDAs, smartphones, notebooks) and wireless data communication standards (e.g. UMTS, WLAN) in the recent years it is possible to provide access to information systems to mobile employees while they are working in the field or are on journeys. Further there are several technologies available to determine a mobile computer's location, e.g. the satellite-based Global Positioning System (GPS). In this article we look at mobile technologies from a process-centric viewpoint: we provide an extension to UML activity diagramms that enables the modeller to express statements concerning the locations where individual activities must or mustn't be performed. These statements are called location constraints. We discuss several classes of location constraints, e.g. static or dynamic location constraints and show that location constraints can also be used for UML usecase diagrams.

Location constraints are motivated by several considerations: Since mobile computers have only a small display and restricted means for data input (e.g. no full keyboard) the user will appreciate it if only relevant data is provided by a mobile information system. But location constraints help also to mitigate specific security issues that are associated with the employment of mobile technologies: e.g. devices could get lost or stolen, so it is of advantage if there are location constraints that forbid the access to confidential data at locations where it is not necessary or plausible to access that data.