Grupo Alarcos · Conference paper · 2021
FEETINGS: Framework for Energy Efficiency Testing to Improve eNvironmental Goals of the Software
Javier Mancebo Pavón, Coral Calero Muñoz, Félix Óscar García Rubio, María Ángeles Moraga de la Rubia, Ignacio García Rodríguez de Guzmán
Energy consumption and carbon emissions caused by the use of software have been increasing in recent years, and it is necessary to increase the energy awareness of both software developers and end users. The objective of this chapter is to establish a framework that provides a solution to the lack of a single and agreed terminology, a process that helps researchers evaluate the energy efficiency of the software, and a technology environment that allows for accurate measurements of energy consumed. The result is FEETINGS (Framework for Energy Efficiency Testing to Improve eNvironmental Goals of the Software), which promotes the reliability of capture, analysis, and interpretation of software energy consumption data. FEETINGS is composed of three main components: an ontology to provide precise definitions and harmonize the terminology related to software energy measurement; a process to guide researchers in carrying out the energy consumption measurements of the software, and a technological environment which allows the capture, analysis, and interpretation of software energy consumption data. In addition, an example of the application of FEETINGS is presented, as well as a guide to good practice for energy efficiency of software, based on different experiments carried out with this framework. The results obtained demonstrate that FEETINGS is a consistent, valid, and useful framework to analyze the energy efficiency of software, promoting the accuracy of its energy consumption measurements. Therefore, FEETINGS serves as a tool to make developers and users aware of the impact that software has on the environment.