Using ontology fragments in concept location

Abstract

Concept location is the process of locating relevant source code fragments where a change must be made. Concept location requires programmers' understanding of the program and their ability to formulate effective concept location queries. This research presents a systematic approach to query formulation that uses ontology fragments. Preliminary results of a case study demonstrate that only small, partial knowledge represented by small ontology fragments is needed for a successful concept location. The ontology fragments also document programmer learning that takes place during the concept location.