DashMash : a mashup environment for end user development

Web mashups are a new generation of applications based on the “composition” of ready-to-use services. In different contexts, ranging from the consumer Web to Enterprise systems, the potential of this new technology is to make users evolve from passive receivers of applications to actors actively involved in the “creation of innovation”. This modus operandi accommodates the inherent variability of user information and service requirements. Enabling end users to self-define applications that satisfy their situational needs is emerging as an important new requirement. Current advances in mashup technologies are good candidates to satisfy this requirement. However, some issues are largely unexplored. In this thesis, we address the current lack of lightweight development processes and environments. In our approach, end users can easily and quickly self-construct their applications without necessarily mastering the skills that are usually necessary for service invocation and integration. This paper presents a mashup-based approach that aims at covering this gap, and discusses models, methods, and technologies that can make mashups a technology for end user development.