Software Systems Engineering research has evolved as fast as software systems are becoming more and more complex, large-scale and long-term, as well as an indispensable technology to society. As such, the continuing need to maintain and evolve software systems is a major challenge in modern software development. For example, software organizations sometimes use distributed teams to reduce cost and reach new IT markets, and usually have depended on suppliers, clients and external developers around a common technology platform, creating a software ecosystem. In parallel, a new type of software systems has emerged, i.e., systems-of-systems, consisting of large, complex systems whose functionalities are resulted from the integration of different other smaller, independent systems. In this context, it is fundamental to understand the software system to be modified (e.g., through visualization approaches) and the testing methods to be applied (e.g., through verification and validation techniques). In case of large search spaces, computational techniques can also be an important instrument to help researchers to solve modern software systems engineering problems. This thematic series aims to enhance advances in software systems engineering research from challenges identified in the modern software development theory and practice.
Edited by: Leonardo Gresta Paulino Murta and Rodrigo Pereira dos Santos