Model driven development approaches for mobile applications: A survey

The usage and development of mobile applications (referred to as apps) are experiencing exponential growth. Moreover, the vastness and diversity of mobile devices and operating systems oblige the software companies, that want to reach a wide audience, to develop and deploy the same app several times, once for each targeted platforms. Furthermore, the dilemma between browser-based and native user interfaces remains relevant and challenges the capacity of organizations to meet the increasing demand for mobile apps. The adoption of model driven development (MDD) can simplify the development of mobile apps, reducing significantly technical complexity and development costs. Several researches have applied MDD techniques to address these challenges. In this paper, we define a set of criteria to assess the current model driven approaches to mobile apps development. We classify those approaches according the defined classification schema and present the current trends and challenges in this field. The survey shows a preference of code generation over model interpretation and of native apps over cross-platform ones.