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Presentation

Human-Centered Computing and Information Science

HumanISE is an interdisciplinary centre focused on research at the forefront of human-centred computing (HCC) with broad and deep expertise in computer science (CS) and information science (IS).

At HumanISE, engineers, scientists and designers focus on research and development of software systems, methods, and tools, capable of leveraging human abilities and practices within their communities and environments, involving high technical and managerial complexity, due to large scale, high heterogeneity, high uncertainty, high integrity, strict compliance to standards and legal frameworks, or domain-specific organisational issues.

Our mission is to pursue high-quality research, innovation, consultancy, and technology transfer, impactful, in close cooperation with academic and industrial partners. We focus on five main research areas - Computer-Human Interaction, Computer Graphics and Interactive Digital Media, Information Management and Information Systems, Software Engineering, and Large Scale and Special Purpose Computing Systems, Languages and Tools - and four innovation areas - Personalised Health Research, Earth, Ocean and Space Science, Geospatial Information Systems Engineering, and Information Systems and Applied Computing.

Furthermore, at HumanISE, we are also strongly committed to training young researchers and professionals, with a significant track record in the supervision of master and PhD students.

Presently, our researchers originate from the University of Porto (UP), Polytechnic of Porto (IPP), University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD), Universidade Aberta (UAb) and University of Minho (UM).

Latest News
Computer Science and Engineering

INESC TEC researchers organised an international conference on computer vision and computer graphics

The VISIGRAPP 2025 - 20th International Joint Conference on Computer Vision, Imaging and Computer Graphics Theory and Applications - took place in Porto, in late February. It brought together more than 380 researchers and professionals interested in keeping up with and discussing theoretical advances and applications in Computer Vision, Computer Graphics, Human-Computer Interaction, and Information Visualisation - the main themes of the co-located conferences VISAPP, GRAPP, HUCAPP, and IVAPP, respectively. One of the co-chairs of this conference was INESC TEC researcher A. Augusto de Sousa.

27th March 2025

Computer Science and Engineering

Self-driving cars? Yes, but only under certain conditions - sustainable and adaptable, according to our researchers

FRODDO - this is the name of the project that will improve the safety and robustness of autonomous and connected systems, e.g., self-driving cars, through the development and testing of technological solutions, thus supporting user-centred mobility. INESC TEC is one of the partners of this European project, with a funding of almost six million euros, under the Horizon Europe programme.

07th February 2025

Computer Science and Engineering

Immersive learning arrived to influence educational contexts. And an INESC TEC researcher leads the main network in this domain

Daniela Pedrosa, INESC TEC's researcher, took on the position of editing manager responsible for the publications of the Immersive Learning Research Network (iLRN), after four years as publication chairon the organising committee of the conference promoted by the association. 

04th February 2025

What will the future of education look like? A network aims to bring people, technology and nature together to provide answers – and relies on INESC TEC to do so

An educational environment that focuses on the interaction of humans with the whole context that surrounds them: this is the objective of an education proposal with INESC TEC’s contribution.  

29th January 2025

Computer Science and Engineering

An ecosystem of networks, Artificial Intelligence and OnLIFE education: there is a new project in Brazil featuring INESC TEC

How can collaboration between networks improve AI and immersive environments education? And how can this education model address the environmental, technological, and social changes we face today? How does society prepare to live, learn and work in these new realities? The project "Network Ecosystem in the OnLIFE Education Paradigm in the Age of Artificial Intelligences" focuses on addressing these questions, boosting networked research and leveraging training in contexts ecologically interconnected with Generative AI.

27th January 2025

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Featured Projects

PGU2CIMTS

Consultoria para a implementação de uma Plataforma de Gestão Urbana na CIM do Tâmega e Sousa

2025-2025

IATriage4SU

Apoio à tomada de decisão na triagem de urgência de adultos, com recurso a inteligência artificial

2025-2026

AMIDA

Aquisição de um serviço de desenvolvimento de arquitetura do sistema AMIDA

2024-2025

PFAI4_5eD

Programa de Formação Avançada Industria 4 - 5a edição

2024-2024

Data4LEM

Synthetic and Explainable Data Generation for the Simulation and Analysis of Future Local Electricity Markets

2024-2025

PTPumpup

Building Portuguese Language Resources through machine learning and limited human interaction

2021-2024

Team
003

Laboratories

Information Systems Laboratory

Laboratory of Software Engineering

Laboratory of Computer Graphics and Virtual Environments

Publications

HumanISE Publications

View all Publications

2025

LLM Prompt Engineering for Automated White-Box Integration Test Generation in REST APIs

Authors
Rincon, AM; Rizzo Vincenzi, AM; Faria, JP;

Publication
IEEE International Conference on Software Testing, Verification and Validation, ICST 2025 - Workshops, Naples, Italy, March 31 - April 4, 2025

Abstract
This study explores prompt engineering for automated white-box integration testing of RESTful APIs using Large Language Models (LLMs). Four versions of prompts were designed and tested across three OpenAI models (GPT-3.5 Turbo, GPT-4 Turbo, and GPT-4o) to assess their impact on code coverage, token consumption, execution time, and financial cost. The results indicate that different prompt versions, especially with more advanced models, achieved up to 90% coverage, although at higher costs. Additionally, combining test sets from different models increased coverage, reaching 96% in some cases. We also compared the results with EvoMaster, a specialized tool for generating tests for REST APIs, where LLM-generated tests achieved comparable or higher coverage in the benchmark projects. Despite higher execution costs, LLMs demonstrated superior adaptability and flexibility in test generation. © 2025 IEEE.

2025

Automated Social Media Feedback Analysis for Software Requirements Elicitation: A Case Study in the Streaming Industry

Authors
Silva, M; Faria, JP;

Publication
Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Evaluation of Novel Approaches to Software Engineering, ENASE 2025, Porto, Portugal, April 4-6, 2025.

Abstract

2025

Automatic Generation of Loop Invariants in Dafny with Large Language Models

Authors
Faria, JP; Trigo, E; Abreu, R;

Publication
Fundamentals of Software Engineering - 11th IFIP WG 2.2 International Conference, FSEN 2025, Västerås, Sweden, April 7-8, 2025, Proceedings

Abstract
Recent verification tools aim to make formal verification more accessible for software engineers by automating most of the verification process. However, the manual work and expertise required to write verification helper code, such as loop invariants and auxiliary lemmas and assertions, remains a barrier. This paper explores the use of Large Language Models (LLMs) to automate the generation of loop invariants for programs in Dafny. We tested the approach on a curated dataset of 100 programs in Dafny involving arrays, strings, and numeric types. Using a multimodel approach that combines GPT-4o and Claude 3.5 Sonnet, correct loop invariants (passing the Dafny verifier) were generated at the first attempt for 92% of the programs, and in at most five attempts for 95% of the programs. Additionally, we developed an extension to the Dafny plugin for Visual Studio Code to incorporate automatic loop invariant generation into the IDE. Our work stands out from related approaches by handling a broader class of problems and offering IDE integration. © IFIP International Federation for Information Processing 2025.

2025

Agile Processes in Software Engineering and Extreme Programming - Workshops - XP 2024 Workshops, Bozen-Bolzano, Italy, June 4-7, 2024, Revised Selected Papers

Authors
Marchesi, L; Goldman, A; Lunesu, MI; Przybylek, A; Aguiar, A; Morgan, L; Wang, X; Pinna, A;

Publication
XP Workshops

Abstract

2025

Histopoly: A serious game for teaching histology to 1st year veterinary students

Authors
Marcos, R; Gomes, A; Santos, M; Coelho, A;

Publication
ANATOMICAL SCIENCES EDUCATION

Abstract
Histology is a preclinical subject transversal in medical, dental, and veterinary curricula. Classical teaching approaches in histology are often undermined by lower motivation and engagement of students, which may be addressed by innovative learning environments. Herein, we developed a serious game approach and compared it with a classical teaching style. The students' feedback was evaluated by questionnaires, and their performance on quizzes and exam's scores were assessed. The serious game (Histopoly) consisted of a game-based web application for the teacher/game master, a digital gaming application used by the students as a controller, and a projected digital board game. The board featured rows for the four fundamental tissues (epithelial, connective, muscular, and nervous) paired with question tiles and additional tiles with more demanding activities (e.g., drawing, presenting slides, and making a syllabus). Participants included all veterinary students enrolled in the first year. Paired laboratory sessions were split with four sections (n = 94 students) playing Histopoly at the end of all sessions and two sections (n = 28 students) completing small evaluations every three weeks at the beginning of sessions. According to the questionnaires, students that played the serious game were more motivated, engaged, and more interconnected with classmates. The activity was considered fun, and students enjoyed the classes more. No differences in the final examination scores were found, but the percentage of correct answers provided throughout the serious game was significantly higher. Overall, these findings argue for the inclusion of serious games in modern histology teaching to promote student engagement in learning.