Semantic Web Services testing: A Systematic Mapping study

A Semantic Web Service (SWS) is a web service attached with a description that defines its semantic in a computer-interpretable language. This semantic description plays an essential role in the automation of tasks in the web services lifecycle and fills a semantic gap existing in the standard web service technologies. Like any software, an SWS needs to be tested to ensure a certain level of quality. The semantics also plays an important role in the testing process since it can be used as input for testing activities such as the design of test cases and the definition of oracles. In this context, this paper aims to identify and characterize the existing testing initiatives for SWSs by conducting a Systematic Mapping. A rigorous process was followed by defining research questions, conducting a search for primary studies in scientific databases, selecting papers according to pre-defined criteria and analyzing the papers to answer the research questions and to identify trends and gaps in the area. As a result, a total of 43 papers were selected and analyzed concerning a defined classification scheme that reflects the area. The analysis showed the primary goals and issues addressed by the initiatives, the testing techniques applied, evidence on the maturity of the area and trends.