Search

Online education is changing how teaching is done at universities and provides new opportunities to reach out to practitioners. In this paper, the development of an online course in systems-of-systems engineering is presented, as well as results from the first instance of the course. The paper describes how the course was designed; how it was produced; and experiences from giving it. Challenges with online education in the systems engineering subjects are also highlighted.

The rapid increasing challenges of modeling and simulation for Systems-of-Systems Engineering (SoSE) is to deal with their large-scale and complexity of heterogeneous and inter-dependent constituent systems. Typically, the method of structural modeling provides a thorough understanding of the composition and operation of different elements, but loses sight of the dynamic characteristics of the systems or components. To make a comprehensive analysis of the System-of-Systems (SoS), the solution of behavior modeling will be more important to adapt to the evolving of the SoS, which focus on understanding the constituent systems and their relationships, and evaluating changes of the constituent system, and continuously responding to the new requirements and options of SoS. This paper discusses how to support the application of modeling and simulation (M&S) based on the framework of SysML to describe the architecture and capability of SoS, and combined with the process and activities of model-based system engineering (MBSE).

The emergence of Systems of Systems (SoSs) and Systems of Systems Engineering (SoSE) is largely driven by global societal needs including energy-water-food nexus, population demographics, global climate, integrated transport, security and social activity. However, due to their scale, structural and functional complexity and emergent properties, these global spanning Cyber-Physical Systems of Systems are becoming increasingly complex and more difficult for current requirements engineering (RE) practices to handle. In this paper, we firstly introduce SoSE as an emerging discipline and key characteristics of SoSs. We then highlight the challenges that the RE discipline must respond to. We discuss some weaknesses of current RE techniques and approaches to cope with the complexity of SoSs. We then argue that there is a need for the global RE community to evolve current RE approaches and to develop new ways of thinking, new RE capabilities and possibly a new RE science as a key mechanism for addressing requirements engineering complexities posed by Systems of Systems. We then outline a requirements engineering perspective and research agenda that identifies 'top-10' research themes informed by a cluster of four Systems of Systems Engineering projects funded by the European Commission's Horizon 2020 research programme.

The oil and gas industry see the potential of using systems engineering, given the complexity of the domain. Actually, oil and gas systems are systems of systems by nature. The domain will need to adapt systems engineering methods and techniques to their specific circumstances and needs.This paper presents a set of examples of research projects, which evaluate specific methods or techniques in the oil and gas domain. A large number of these studies will help the domain in adapting the body of knowledge of (systems of) systems engineering to oil and gas.

As customer outage counts escalate and demand for service restoration becomes daunting and dynamic, electric utility restoration resources utilization becomes more and more challenging during natural disasters. System status information exchange between operators, intelligent electronic devices (IEDs), restoration analysts, and field crews is handled mainly by the Outage Management System (OMS) and the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) processes. The intrinsic use of OMS and SCADA processes in managing field resources presents strain in restoration efforts. This research employs the concept of a Location Set Covering Problem (LSCP) to solve the problem of a centralized SCADA managing distributed field resource activities. A decentralized SCADA solution with the use of substation nodes in the electric grid network is presented to demonstrate a reduction in travel distance by first responders. This is implemented through a Multi Agent Systems (MAS) approach that combines the use of Specific Points of Contact (SPOCs) with the aid of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and the confluence of Regional Mutual Assistance Groups (RMAGs). The proposed multi-agent architecture will be implemented using the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) IntelliGrid layered model. A modified architectural perspective using the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61850 standard is developed to identify the physical and functional architectures and linkages between the constituent systems for improved restoration practices. A System of Systems (SoS) perspective to analyze the subsystems from a logistical, technical, and operational viewpoint is presented using SysML. A unique framework that integrates qualitative and quantitative analysis of response and recovery practices for improved restoration practice by electric utility entities is developed.

This paper explores the applicability of Systems of Systems (SoS) Engineering in the development of large-scale particle accelerator research facilities. Modern particle accelerator facilities, realised by complex constellations of interacting systems, serve a variety of users as research enablers. While the constituent systems exhibit a significant degree of technical and operational independence and distinct life cycles, the performance required to conduct research still needs to emerge from their integration into one overall system, the research facility. This renders a Systems of Systems oriented approach to engineering useful. Furthermore, accelerator based research facilities face increasing availability expectations. Achieving those expectations can be supported through a tailored application of functional safety standards as engineering methodology guideline on an SoS level, as explained in this paper. An SoS-Engineering approach utilising functional safety standards (IEC 61511, IEC 61508) in this way is concretised in a case study on the development of a Machine Protection Systems of Systems in the world-leading neutron science laboratory European Spallation Source ERIC (ESS).

Systems of Systems (SoS) are complex systems that result from the integration of a set of independent constituent systems — which are complex systems themselves — in order to achieve new functionalities and goals. The emerging interdisciplinary area of SoS and Systems of Systems Engineering (SoSE) is largely driven by stakeholders' goals and needs. In addition, Goal-Oriented Requirements Engineering (GORE) is a promising approach in the SoS context to be used in the identification, modelling and management of goals to be achieved by the overall SoS and as the starting point to requirements engineering of SoS. The i∗ goal-oriented approach has been used in the requirements specifications of monolithic systems, but has not been engaged so far in the derivation of requirements specifications in SoS. In this paper, we propose a novel approach by utilising the i∗ framework in developing a Goal-Oriented Requirements Engineering framework for Systems of Systems (SoSGORE). The approach drives the SoS Requirements Engineering (RE) process to explore, model and manage the goals of different stakeholders at two levels — the SoS-level goals and the constituent systems-level goals — in order to derive purposeful SoS requirements that are well-aligned with the users' goals and needs.

Application of systems engineering to ‘systems of systems’ is a topic of increasing interest across the systems engineering community. This paper reviews the upcoming latest versions of three core SE knowledge sources, the Guide to the Systems Engineering Body of Knowledge (SEBoK), the INCOSE Systems Engineering Handbook and the SoS Annex to ISO/IEC 15288, Systems and software engineering — System Lifecycle Processes, and examines how they address various aspects of systems of systems engineering, as an indicator of the current state of knowledge on systems of systems and systems engineering.

The emergence of Systems of Systems (SoS) arrangements, with their high level of complexity, mainly due to the different characteristics of the individual systems and their integration into the respective SoS, has brought about new challenges in terms of Configuration Management (CM) in general, and change management in particular. Novel change management frameworks are needed to appropriately address these challenges simultaneously both at the level of individual systems and at the SoS level. To address these challenges, there has been a call for a major paradigm shift, by proposing state-of-the-art approaches that target the investigation of new frameworks, which align various CM activities with newly proposed Systems Engineering (SE) models (i.e. SoSE models). So far, the adopted change management frameworks have been applied for managing changes to software and IT services in complex monolithic system environments only, but they have not been widely proposed to be applied on entire SoS arrangements. This paper introduces an ongoing research that aims to propose a novel approach, by investigating the potential of using ontology-driven models combined with a formal Business Process Architecture (BPA) approach and in particular, Riva, in driving the development of a generic semantically enriched change management framework for the software engineering life cycle of SoS, namely the OntoSoS.CM framework.

Semantic heterogeneity is a significant challenge to integration in Systems of Systems Engineering (SoSE) due the large variety of languages, domains and tools which are used in their construction. In this paper we envision a strategy for managing this heterogeneity by decomposing domain specific languages into their “building block” theories which can be independently analysed, and used as a basis for linking with similar notations. This provides a systematic approach to building a tool-chain which integrates the different theories, methods and tools used in SoSE. Our approach has been piloted on the development of theories enabling machine-supported analysis of SysML models of SoSs. We conclude that the approach has further potential and identify lines of future research, notably in techniques for handling mixed discrete and continuous behaviour, timebands, mobility and model integration in SoSE.

Human-intensive systems are complex systems in which humans are an intimate part of the system; where human beings and their decisions and actions are key elements of system success. The human-intensive system breaks when a human error is made. Virtually any business can be considered a human-intensive system for the delivery of products and/or services. In contrast, the “ordinary” systems that companies mostly deliver to customers may require human interaction to operate, but the engineer is typically not responsible for human failures in the operation of the system or device. Engineers typically develop these “ordinary” systems which may include software and hardware, and are designed to perform as expected once development is complete. Responsibility for proper usage of these ordinary systems belongs to the customer. However, the activity of those engineers in developing an “ordinary” system is in itself a human-intensive system, as the decisions and actions of the engineers greatly influence the outcome of the effort. This paper outlines the unique properties and needs of human-intensive systems, and offers an approach to improve the outcomes of human-intensive systems. This approach has been utilized for the past five years at a major defense contractor to successfully complete major internal technical initiatives which required the successful re-engineering of human-intensive product delivery systems. This paper concludes with the description and results of a practical internal change effort successfully implemented over five years at this company which resulted in a 65% productivity improvement across the engineering product design cycle.

Due to an increasingly connected society and industry, our modern societal world and all industry sectors now increasingly depend on large-scale complex Systems of Systems (SoS). The emerging interdisciplinary area of SoS and Systems of Systems Engineering (SoSE) is largely driven by societal needs including public services such as health, transport, water, energy, food security, etc. The scale, complexities and challenges presented by SoS require us to go beyond traditional Requirements Engineering (RE) approaches. However, as is evident from publications in major Requirements Engineering conferences and journals, no significant effort has been expedited towards addressing specific RE issues for Systems of Systems Engineering. This panel explores key RE challenges in Systems of Systems Engineering, specifically, the areas in which the international RE community need to focus its research, and the approaches that are most likely to meet these challenges effectively. We first introduce Systems of Systems Engineering and outline key characteristics of SoS. We conclude by arguing that there is an urgent need for the global RE community to develop new ways of thinking, new capabilities and possibly a new science as a key mechanism for addressing requirements complexities posed by Systems of Systems.

Teaching model-based systems engineering has become more challenging as research and development has shifted from systems to include systems-of-systems (SoSs). SoSs involve primarily combination of hardware and software, as well as humans and organizations. The need to teach model-based system-of-systems engineering has thus raised the need to determine what the most suitable language for modeling and teaching SoSs is. We developed a new course format, in which groups jointly reverse-engineer and model Web-based information systems in two different modeling languages, UML and OPM, and then individually assess their peers' projects. The goal of this study was to compare UML with OPM as two candidates. We developed and evaluated an online peer assessment tool which students used. About 130 undergraduate students in groups of six divided into teams of three modeled 23 systems in both UML and OPM. They then evaluated, compared, and ranked the clarity & understandability and the completeness of the four models of two systems that their peers had constructed. Findings demonstrate that neither the order of the models assessment nor the assessor gender affected the grading, indicating assessment reliability. We found significant differences in model clarity and understandability in favor of OPM and no differences in completeness between OPM and UML models. These findings validate our approach of teaching both conceptual modeling languages and using peer assessment in large-scale project-based undergraduate information systems engineering courses.

Systems of Systems Engineering constitutes a major challenge for the 21st Century and research into this topic has become an imperative. The Support Action, T-AREA-SoS has been initiated by the European Commission to develop a research agenda in Systems of Systems (SoS) that will inform future investment in this area. Through an extensive consultation and review, a number of SoS capability gaps have been identified. Through structuring and subsequent consultation, these have been developed into twelve research themes the detailed areas of which are mapped to the three SoS characteristics of control, evolution, and emergent behaviour. A framework is presented through which researchers can develop a research campaign in SoS.

Design of a web-based thesaurus for Systems of Systems Engineering (SoSE) discipline is presented in this article. Due to lack of linguistic clarity within this emerging discipline, there is a strong need to represent and interpret SoS concepts and terms to align heterogeneous models, and tools and techniques developed for SoS operations, management and its governance. A Blackboard-based systems approach is therefore used to devise a model, providing a mechanism for high level organisation and sharing of knowledge and information within the SoSE thesaurus system. To illustrate its applicability, a scenario derived from realistic use cases is provided. The potential benefits of this research are identified and a brief description of intended further work is given.

The emergence of Systems of Systems Engineering (SoSE) poses challenges to the consistent use of terminology within and/or across heterogeneous sectors such as transport, energy and defence. In preparation for Horizon 2020, an €80 billion financial instrument running from 2014 to 2020 to implement the Europe 2020 strategy, the European Commission funded T-AREA-SoS project to formulate a strategic research agenda for SoSE that spans US and Europe activities. As part of T-AREA-SoS, a thesaurus will be created to ensure that SoS concepts and terms are consistently interpreted, and to provide an artefact that will be of significant assistance to planners of future programmes in SoSE. This paper proposes an approach for the formalisation and mapping of terminologies for a SoSE thesaurus development. This paper also discusses the theoretical foundations and exemplars of this applied approach in addition to the user interface specification for a proposed web-based thesaurus development.

This paper presents the work undertaken so far in the formulation of a Strategic Research Agenda (SRA) for research in Systems of Systems Engineering in the EU. The T-AREA-SoS project is introduced to provide a context, together with a section on Drivers for Change which the SRA needs to take into account. The strategy and process for the generation of the SRA is described, followed by details of outputs to date and the potential benefits it is believed would accrue from the implementation of the SRA.

Computer science and biology have inspired each other by drawing analogies. Biological molecules are even used directly as new material building blocks for creating next generation computer hard- and software. Recently, biology is moving to larger scales, generating datasets of high complexity and size. This allows moving from studies of individual biological entities such as proteins to their complex networks of interactions. Since cells are able to respond to perturbations over time, it is becoming an important variable in these studies. This is analogous to systems of systems engineering to operate in dynamic environments, requiring the efficient monitoring of external variables and intelligent choice of adequate responses. Here, we survey previous successes in exploiting analogies between biology and computer science and propose novel avenues and potential for cross-fertilization of research in dynamic systems modeling in biology and systems-of-systems engineering.

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) is a vital lifesaving therapy. Though it has achieved approximately 75% survival rates for patients starting with less than a 25% chance of survival, ECMO was not designed and implemented in a rigorous engineering process. This paper will introduce a Systems of Systems (SoS) Engineering approach to characterizing the ECMO architecture and formally documenting it using Model Based Systems Engineering (MBSE), developed in a partnership between Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) and the Georgia Institute of Technology's Professional Masters of Applied Systems Engineering (PMASE) program. Finally, the authors will describe possible areas of future work that may be undertaken as projects for future PMASE cohorts or others. The primary and unique contribution of this work is an initial application of formal MBSE to one of the most complex medical system of systems.

Systems of systems typically contain many technical systems but also span across and affect different legal and economic entities (e.g., companies, public bodies, etc.). The economic entities are involved in exchanges of goods, services and value. To develop an envisioned or to understand an existing system of systems, systems engineers should also be able to model and analyze these value exchanges and the business interactions related to them. Business interactions are strongly related not only to the requirements on the systems of systems, but also on the systems within them. In this paper we propose to use business models, business process models and value network models to analyze business interactions in the context of systems engineering, and to elaborate how they can be related to requirements. We examine our proposal on an example system of systems: a smart grid.

Systems of systems engineering (SoSE) takes place in the broader context of an enterprise, which we define very generally as a purposeful or industrious undertaking. Enterprises of greatest interest for SoSE are typically complex, multi-agent organizations or sets of organizations exhibiting the characteristics of complex adaptive systems, including evolutionary and emergent behaviors at multiple scales. The most fundamental of enterprise purposes are manifest in enterprise operations, in which the enterprise interacts with the larger world external to itself, and this aspect of enterprise dynamics is modeled. SoSE is but one aspect of an enterprise's activities, and the whole set of enterprise activities is predominantly oriented towards accomplishing and supporting the enterprise's mission in operations. This paper proposes a unifying framework for understanding and modeling the organizational, technical, and system complexities of enterprise dynamics across a range of enterprise types as major acquisition program initiatives are undertaken to provide improved operational capabilities.

Systems of systems that manage health care or enable Albert's "power to the edge" are expected to provide the flexibility to engage multiple enterprises in innovative, collaborative, ways to solve problems. This paper describes a systems engineering approach to engineer infrastructure that will support the restriction of systems of systems behavior at the time of use rather than at design time. We present a process for describing demands within their context of use, and how organizational variations in collaborative approaches (geometries-of-use) can be related to variations in these demands-in-context (pragmatics), thus giving a way to engineer a systems-of-systems' agility i.e. its ability to adapt to changing demands.