System of Systems

Command Control, Communication Computer and Intelligence (C4I) systems enables modern military forces to achieve information superiority in the battlefield. C4I are complex System of systems (SOS) where individual systems interact locally to achieve global SOS behaviors. To build software for C4I systems conventional software engineering SwE process and practices have shortcomings and are not capable to support certain aspect of these systems. If C4I systems fail to operate as required due to the fact that SwE process was unable to fulfill its requirements, the consequences may not be tolerated because of the criticality of the mission of these systems in information warfare (IW). This paper highlights the distinguished characteristics and operational requirements of C4I systems which poses challenges to SwE process and practices. This paper also discuss the possible future research areas in order to enhance SwE process so that better software could drive these complex systems as required.

This paper describes the development of a methodology to import key products of the DoD Architecture Framework into an executable form to conduct a dynamic analysis of the Command and Control (C2) system or capability represented by the architecture. Dynamic analysis of these models enables a user to assess the impact of change and determine measures of performance and effectiveness. The research team successfully implemented the methodology in a demonstration that made a three-way link among a business process model, a communications network model, and a combat simulation representing the system's operational environment. We linked these models together via the Runtime Infrastructure (RTI) of the High Level Architecture (HLA). Basic HLA interactions that we established allowed key events in the combat simulation to initiate one or more business processes in the process model. As a business process proceeded in time, the process model requested from the communications model a de...

Most of textile companies in the world are operating in a fluctuating and uncertain environment. Despite laying the first brick of TPS (Toyota Production System), textile industry still lacks necessary leanness in its internal and external processes to buffer against the intensifying competition. In order to dust off this traditional and neglected industry, innovative smart techniques and methodologies from academia and practitioners are needed. In this research paper, first textile industry and its compatibility with Lean Manufacturing (LM) and System of Systems (SoS) approach has been explored. Then the detailed current value stream mapping (VSM) was drawn to map and highlight the weaknesses of processes during the case study accomplished at a spinning mill located in Pakistan. In order to address the unveiled issues, a Smart Lean Spinning Framework was envisaged integrating SoS ideas with the prudently screened and selected LM tools, apt to textile industry. Subsequently, the proposed framework was simulated to evaluate the impacts of diverse parameters. The impressive results obtained by modeling and simulation encouraged us to put our prospective model to test. The outcome after implementation has been depicted in Smart Lean VSM and later transfigured into appropriate diagrams that show significant improvements. In this way, the research work also implicitly adapts and adopts lean tools of discrete manufacturing to process industry. ARTICLE HISTORY

This paper describes how to use a positive deviance-inspired process for improving the practice of systems engineering, and how positive deviance fits into an evolutionary improvement strategy. It illustrates the process with examples from both systems engineering and cases studies outside of systems engineering. In particular we cite the experience of the team that authored the DoD systems engineering guide for systems of systems (SoS) [Ref 1]. They developed a representation of how successful SoS engineering practitioners view and do systems engineering that is substantially different from their individual system counterparts. The cases outside of systems engineering relate to an antistarvation program in rural Vietnam and a 150-year old problem of inadequate hand scrubbing and infections in hospitals [Ref 2]. Even with substantial progress in technology, processes, and efficiencies, complex problems from enterprise systems engineering to nutrition to medical needs still stubbornly resist improvement. By using a positive deviance-inspired approach, this can be reversed.

Page 1. Systems Engineering Research David Jacques, Ph.D. Chair, Systems Eng Programs Department of Systems and ... Defense Architecture Framework (DoDAF) Research Sponsor: AFRL/RH, Wright-Patterson AFB Maj David O'Malley Major Jonathan Zall ...

The information technology revolution has driven the pace of competition and rapid globalization. Consequently, enterprises increasingly need to consider and pursue fundamental changetransformation—to maintain or gain competitive advantage. This need raises important research issues concerning how transformation is best understood and pursued. This paper outlines a theory of enterprise transformation to guide research on these issues. The theory focuses on why and how transformation happens, as well as ways in which transformation is addressed and pursued in terms of work processes and the architecture of these processes. A variety of industry and corporate vignettes is used to illustrate the theory. A portfolio of research initiatives are discussed in terms of how they can advance the proposed theory, while also enhancing practices of enterprise transformation. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Syst Eng 8: 279–295, 2005

The next generation of military capabilities will hinge on systems of systems. Such systems can introduce emergent hazards that must be adequately dealt with before the system of systems can be employed. Traditional hazard analysis techniques do not address the complexity and size of systems of systems. In this paper we describe a technique for conducting interface hazard analysis for systems of systems. The technique is compatible with current system safety processes.

Large-scale weapon systems employ distributed
computing, but these systems typically do not have a services
orientation as found in systems architected to leverage cloud
computing. In this paper we describe some of the issues that
need to be addressed to enable the application of cloud
computing in such systems, using high-level generic use cases
and requirements to illustrate the issues. We also discuss how
cloud computing can address some of the perplexing problems
that arise in the acquisition of large-scale weapon systems as
systems of systems, but can also play a role in supporting
changes in the workflows employed by the warfighter to attain
information superiority within the battlespace.

The goal of the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) is to link existing information systems into a global and flexible network to address nine areas of critical importance to society. One of these "societal benefit areas" is biodiversity and it will be supported by a GEOSS sub-system known as the GEO Biodiversity Observation Network (GEO BON). In planning the GEO BON, it was soon recognised that there are already a multitude of existing networks and initiatives in place worldwide. What has been lacking is a coordinated framework that allows for information sharing and exchange between the networks. Traversing across the various scales of biodiversity, in particular from the individual and species levels to the ecosystems level has long been a challenge. Furthermore, some of the major regions of the world have already taken steps to coordinate their efforts, but links between the regions have not been a priority until now. Linking biodiversity data to that of the other GEO societal benefit areas, in particular ecosystems, climate, and agriculture to produce useful information for the UN Conventions and other policy-making bodies is another need that calls for integration of information. Integration and interoperability are therefore a major theme of GEO BON, and a "system of systems" is very much needed. There are several approaches to integration that need to be considered. Data integration requires harmonising concepts, agreeing on vocabularies, and building ontologies. Semantic mediation of data using these building blocks is still not easy to achieve. Agreements on, or mappings between, the metadata standards that will be used across the networks is a major requirement that will need to be addressed early on. With interoperable metadata, service integration will be possible through registry of registries systems such as GBIF's forthcoming GBDRS and the GEO Clearinghouse. Chaining various services that build intermediate products using workflow systems will also help expedite the delivery of products and reports that are required for integrated assessment of data from many disciplines. Going beyond the Service Oriented Architectures which now are mainstream, these challenges have lately been addressed in the business world by adopting what is called a Semantic Enterprise Architecture. Semantic portals have been built, in particular, to address interoperability across domains, where users may not be familiar with concepts of all networks. We will discuss the applicability of these approaches for building the global GEO BON.

This paper builds on and extends U.S. Department of Defense published guidance on systems engineering (SE) of systems of systems (SoS) by developing and presenting a view of SoS SE that translates the SoS SE core elements, their interrelationships, and SoS decision-making artifacts and information from a “trapeze” model to a more familiar and intuitive time-sequenced “wave” model representation. The information is thus rendered in a form more readily usable by SoS SE practitioners in the field and one that corresponds with incremental development approaches that are the norm for SoS capability evolution. The paper describes and motivates the development of the wave model, discusses its key characteristics, and provides examples of SoS efforts that reflect this view of SoS SE. Finally, the paper describes how the information critical to successful SoS SE is created, where it fits into the wave model, how it evolves over time, and in which artifacts the information is normally contained.

This article describes the emerging roles of the systems engineering (SE) function in supporting enterprise management in information-intensive organizations. “Enterprise Systems Engineering” (ESE) comprises three major roles or “levels” of systems engineering for successful and efficient development or procurement of large complex systems of systems (SoS). While the authors' experience focuses predominantly on government organizations acting as their own SoS integrators, the SoS ESE concept has generic applicability for any organization, public or private, seeking to attain competitive advantage through leveraging of information technology resources and systems. The processes and tools described here have been developed and successfully employed to facilitate government project management and investment decisions and control. [Carlock and Decker, 1998] This paper describes a formal three-level SoS ESE process that, at the top level, organizes and maintains all of the details of the enterprise-wide SoS architecture and strategic development plan in a flexible framework that accommodates the changes expected over a long SoS evolution. The information maintained in this framework allows the organization to know where it is going, how and when it is going to get there, the required capabilities and interfaces of each SoS component, and the impact of changes to system requirements, budgets, schedules, etc., on the overall SoS. The middle level processes allow the organization to perform trade studies among alternative solutions to implement required capabilities based on what is best for the enterprise-wide SoS rather than just local considerations. The end result of the middle level processes is a selected and approved solution and its associated cost, schedule, benefits, and technical baselines. The third level processes implement the approved solutions in accordance with the approved baselines. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Syst Eng 4: 242–261, 2001

Due to the widespread of new technologies, the modern electric power system has become much more complex and uncertain. The Integration of technologies in the electric power system has increased the exposure of cyber threats and correlative susceptibilities from malicious cyber-attacks. To better address these cyber risks and minimize the effects of the power system outage, this research identifies the potential causes and mitigation techniques for the smart grid (SG) and assesses the overall cyber resilience of smart grid systems using a Bayesian network approach. Bayesian network is a powerful analytical tool predominantly used in risk, reliability, and resilience assessment under uncertainty. The quantification of the model is examined, and the results are analyzed through different advanced techniques such as predictive inference reasoning and sensitivity analysis. Different scenarios have been developed and analyzed to identify critical variables that are susceptible to the cyber resilience of a smart grid system of systems. Insight drawn from these analyses suggests that overall cyber resilience of the SG system of systems is dependent upon the status of identified factors, and more attention should be directed towards developing the countermeasures against access domain vulnerability. The research also shows the efficacy of a Bayesian network to assess and enhance the overall cyber resilience of the smart grid system of systems.

A growing number of military capabilities are achieved through a system of system approach and this trend is likely to continue in the foreseeable future. Systems of systems differ from traditional systems in ways that require tailoring of systems engineering processes to successfully deliver their capabilities. This paper describes the distinct characteristics of systems of systems that impact their test and evaluation, discusses their unique challenges, and suggests strategies for managing them. The recommendations are drawn from the experiences of active system of system engineering practitioners.

Judging from the enormous number of definitions of System-of-Systems (SoS) and System-of-Systems Engineering (SoSE), it is obvious this topic as defined renders itself easily applicable to different disciplines and that we have only just begun to understand SoSE as a field of engineering. This field is still growing and needs more intensive research if it is to achieve maturity. There appears to be some conflicts regarding the universal definition of SoS and SoSE. This paper is presented to attempt to lessen the confusion related to the use of SoSE terms. The paper is structured to explore four areas. First, the current literature of SoS and SoSE are reviewed. Second, terminology is proposed to diminish the confusion of the field. Third, three dominant schools of thought are depicted relative to terminology. Fourth, a set of attributes is proposed to assist in providing meaning and understanding from the SoS and SoSE perspective.

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