Extending enterprise architecture modeling languages for domain specificity and collaboration: application to telecommunication service design

The competitive market forces organizations to be agile and flexible so as to react robustly to complex events. Modeling helps managing this complexity. However, in order to model an enterprise, many stakeholders, with different expertise, must work together and take decisions. These decisions and their rationale are not always captured explicitly, in a standard, formal manner. The main problem is to persuade stakeholders to capture them. This article synthesizes an approach for capturing and using the rationale behind enterprise modeling decisions. The approach is implemented through a domain-specific modeling language, defined as an extension of a standard enterprise architecture modeling language. It promotes coordination, enables presenting different stakeholders’ points of view, facilities participation and collaboration in modeling activities—activities focused here on enterprise architecture viewpoints. To present its benefits, such as rapid prototyping, the approach is applied to large organizations in the context of telecommunication service design. It is exemplified on modeling and capturing decisions on a conference service.     

A formal algorithmic model compatible with the conceptual modeling of accounting information systems

Accounting and computer science have been uneasy partners in the development of accounting information systems. The history of their association has generally led end users to do the best they could in matching the needs of accounting systems to the demands of current hardware and software developments. While the results have been impressive, recent developments in computer science make it possible to approach the modeling of accounting information systems in a manner more consistent with the accounting model than previously possible. This paper, motivated by program verification issues from an auditor's viewpoint, introduces a functional approach to accounting systems development. The result is a formal algorithmic model of accounting that is consistent with current developments in computer science. A number of benefits are derived from the approach, including: (1) natural representation; (2) ease of coding, design and modification; and (3) verification capabilities.     

Parametric exchange of round shapes between a mechanical CAD system and a ship CAD system

Interoperability among heterogeneous Computed-Aided Design (CAD) systems is an important issue. With the advent of global outsourcing, collaborative design has expanded from inside the enterprise to parts suppliers. This paper introduces a method for design data exchange between shipyards and equipment suppliers. These parties usually use different CAD systems, because they want to select the most suitable one for their jobs. CAD systems provide modeling functionality that is based on distinct modeling units. Therefore, to exchange design data, one must map between these two distinct sets of modeling units. Some modeling units can be directly mapped and converted, and other modeling units that cannot be directly mapped (such as the fillet feature in a mechanical CAD system) are converted by the indirect mapping procedure proposed in this paper. The proposed method is demonstrated with case studies between TransCAD and the AVEVA Marine system.     

面向CIPS的企业集成化建模技术研究

CIPS是流程性企业实现企业信息化,实现企业各系统的信息集成和过程集成,从而 提高企业市场竞争力的综合自动化系统工程．CIPS的本质是系统集成和技术融合．为了在流 程性企业实现这一目标,急需要一套先进的方法论和支持工具来支持和指导CIPS的规划和实 施．其中,集成化建模技术为缩小CIPS理论研究与CIPS工程实施之间的差距提供了机会,基 于集成化建模理论的建模方法、建模工具和分析工具也能够有效地帮助企业建模理论转化为 可操作的企业模型．本文在分析了CIPS的应用特点及系统构成的基础上对面向CIPS的企业集 成化建模技术发展趋势及其关键技术做了概要性的描述,并对其中的两项较关键的技术进行 了探讨,提出了面向CIPS的企业集成化建模体系结构及面向CIPS的企业集成化建模与仿真过 程框架．面向CIPS的企业集成化建模技术研究为CIPS的理论研究与系统应用提供有利的支持 ．     

Components of a multi-perspective modeling method for designing and managing IT security systems

Information technology (IT) security design and management are a major concern and substantial challenge for IT management. Today’s highly complex business and technological environments and the need to effectively communicate and justify IT security requirements and controls demand methodical support. The modeling method presented in this paper addresses this demand. The method is based on the assumption that enriched enterprise models integrating technological, business, organizational and strategic aspects provide an effective foundation for developing and managing IT security systems and facilitating communication and understanding between stakeholders. The proposed modeling method for designing and managing IT security in organizations accounts for different perspectives and is based on multi-perspective enterprise modeling. The core components of the method, based on analysis of requirements at different levels of abstraction, are: modeling language concepts specifically designed to address security issues, process models that guide the use of the resulting language, and a modeling environment. The method facilitates elaborate representations of the various aspects of IT security at different levels of abstraction and covers the entire lifecycle of IT security systems. It not only supports multi-perspective requirement analysis and design but also enables monitoring and analysis of IT security at runtime. The presented artifact is evaluated with recourse to a research method that enables the configuration of multi-criteria justification procedures.     

Yet another cybersecurity risk assessment framework

IT systems pervade our society more and more, and we become heavily dependent on them. At the same time, these systems are increasingly targeted in cyberattacks, making us vulnerable. Enterprise and cybersecurity responsibles face the problem of defining techniques that raise the level of security. They need to decide which mechanism provides the most efficient defense with limited resources. Basically, the risks need to be assessed to determine the best cost-to-benefit ratio. One way to achieve this is through threat modeling; however, threat modeling is not commonly used in the enterprise IT risk domain. Furthermore, the existing threat modeling methods have shortcomings. This paper introduces a metamodel-based approach named Yet Another Cybersecurity Risk Assessment Framework (Yacraf). Yacraf aims to enable comprehensive risk assessment for organizations with more decision support. The paper includes a risk calculation formalization and also an example showing how an organization can use and benefit from Yacraf.

     

Nonautonomous Elementary Net Systems and Their Application to Programmable Logic Control

In this paper, a novel approach to Petri net modeling of programmable logic controller (PLC) programs is presented. The modeling approach is a simple extension of elementary net systems, and a graphical design tool that supports the use of this modeling approach is provided. A key characteristic of the model is that the binary sensory inputs and binary actuation outputs of the PLC are explicitly represented. This leads to the following two improvements: outputs are unambiguous, and interaction patterns are more clearly represented in the graphical form. The use of this modeling approach produces programs that are simple, lightweight, and portable. The approach is demonstrated by applying it to the development of a control module for a MonTech Positioning Station.     

Participatory knowledge-management design: A semiotic approach

The aim of this paper is to present a design strategy for collaborative knowledge-management systems based on a semiotic approach. The contents and structure of experts' knowledge is highly dependent on professional or individual practice. Knowledge-management systems that support cooperation between experts from different (sub-)fields need to be situated and tailored to provide effective support even if the common aspects of the data need to be described by ontologies that are generic in respect to the sub-disciplines involved. To understand and approach this design problem, we apply a semiotic perspective to computer application and human–computer interaction. From a semiotic perspective, the computer application is both a message from the designer to the user about the structure of the problem domain, as well as about interaction with it, and a structured channel for the user's communication with herself, himself or other users of the software. Tailoring or “end-user development” – i.e. adapting the knowledge-management system to a specific (sub-)discipline, task or context – then refines both the message and adapts the structure of the interaction to the situated requirements.The essential idea of this paper is to define a new perspective for designing and developing interactive systems to support collaborative knowledge management. The key concept is to involve domain experts in participatory knowledge design for mapping and translating their professional models into the proper vocabularies, notations, and suitable visual structures for navigating among interface elements. To this end, the paper describes how our semiotic approach supports processes for representing, storing, accessing, and transferring knowledge through which the information architecture of an interactive system can be defined. Finally, the results of applying our approach to a real-world case in an archaeological context are presented.     

动态企业建模(DEM)实施中的组件化方法

以一个先进的ERP建模工具DEM为例,探讨了在动态多变的企业环境下如何快速实施具柔性与扩展性的可配置的ERP系统。提出了组件化方法,对企业进行了四个层次的划分,在业务过程层引入业务组件的概念,以支持系统的柔性与可重构信息系统的开发。提出了采用DEM实施企业建模的步骤:企业层次化、组件层次化、业务组件化、模型层次化、组件集成化。国家863/CIMS应用示范工程SH-CIMSERP的实施证明了该方法的有效性。     

A CASE-tool oriented approach for embedded systems design

The process of successfully creating an embedded system is highly challenging and complex; engineers typically operate under tight financial, technical and time-to-market constraints. To achieve the desired objective, the design team need to utilise effectively the most advanced software tools available, in order that the task may be completed to specification in a timely and cost-effective manner. This paper discusses the use of a CASE-tool in an embedded systems design, and reviews issues pertaining to the integration of such a tool into an embedded systems development environment. The paper focuses on the application of this high level approach in embedded systems design and concludes by describing the use of the CASE-tool in the design of a simple demonstrator.     

Entity-Centric Operations Modeling for Business Process Management: A Multidisciplinary Review of the State-of-the-Art

The entity-based approach for operations modeling was published for the first time three decades ago. Specifically, the notion of entities as the main subjects of processes and entity life-cycle as a technique for dynamic modeling of operations were introduced independently by K. Robinson in 1979, C. Rosenquist in 1982 and M. Jackson in 1983. This modeling work emerged in clear contrast with static entity-relationship modeling found in the data-base tradition. These three pioneer contributions and other substantial research done at the realm of information engineering, structured systems analysis and social sciences in the 80''s and 90''s have established an important foundation for business operations modeling. On the other hand, Business Process Management (BPM) has continued to receive great attention from practitioners and scholars. Being one of the main hinges between theory and practice of business operations, BPM enjoys contributions from several domains of research such as economics, social sciences, engineering and computing. In spite of its steady growth, the industry side of BPM seems to have evolved somewhat unaware of related progress in the above sister disciplines. Specifically, recent claims on the need to integrate information and activities in process modeling and some rediscoveries of core ideas from entity-based dynamic modeling offer some examples of the disconnection. These and other findings suggest that the BPM field may not have yet fully benefited from the work done in the tradition of structured analysis, information engineering and process theory schools. Furthermore, the possibility of using entity life-cycle for modeling operations addressed by Case Management is an important byproduct. Entity-based life cycle offers a conceptual framework to integrate different types of enterprise operations whose modeling has not yet been reconciled in the BPM tradition. This paper presents an in-depth, multidisciplinary review of the state-of-the-art on entity life cycle modeling. The focus of this review is exclusively on modeling concepts and methodology while tools, programming models and other aspects of entity-life life cycle implementation will be addressed in companion papers. This review should also help pave more holistic approaches to business process modeling.     

Making flying microgrids work in future aircrafts and aerospace vehicles

This paper concerns modeling, simulations and control design of turbo-electric distributed propulsion (TeDP) systems needed to power future hybrid aircraft systems. The approach taken is the one of control co-design by which the sizing and hardware selection of components and the TeDP architecture design are pursued so that potential effects of control and automation are accounted for from the very beginning. Unique to this approach is a multi-layered modular modeling and control approach in which technology-specific modules comprising the complex dynamical system are characterized using unified interaction variables at their interfaces with the rest of the system. The dynamical performance of the interconnected system is assessed using these technology-agnostic interface variable specifications and, as such, can be applied to any candidate architecture of interest. Importantly, even the inputs to the TeDP system coming from pilot commands are modeled using such interface variables. This new multi-layered modeling captures the dynamics of energy and power as interactions. It also has a rather straightforward physical interpretation. The paper builds on our earlier results introduced for terrestrial power systems, including small micro-grids. We show how system feasibility and stability can be checked in real-time operations by modules exchanging the information about their interaction variables and adjusting in a near-autonomous manner so that, as system conditions vary, the interconnected system still functions. No such systematic control co-design exists to the best of our knowledge, but it is needed as both new technologies and more complex, often conflicting performance objectives emerge. We illustrate the approach on a representative TeDP architecture and compare it to today’s state-of-the-art. We close with a discussion on the generalization of the method for any given candidate architecture. Having such an approach dramatically reduces the R&D&D of novel candidate architectures.     

Material design and development: From classical thermodynamics to CALPHAD and ICME approaches

This paper presents an overview and examples of material design and development using (1) classical thermodynamics; (2) CALPHAD (calculation of phase diagrams) modeling; and (3) Integrated Computational Materials Engineering (ICME) approaches. Although the examples are given in lightweight aluminum and magnesium alloys for structural applications, the fundamental methodology and modeling principles are applicable to all materials and engineering applications. The examples in this paper have demonstrated the effectiveness and limitations of classical thermodynamics in solving specific problems (such as nucleation during solidification and solid-state precipitation in aluminum alloys). Computational thermodynamics and CALPHAD modeling, when combined with critical experimental validation, have been used to guide the selection and design of new magnesium alloys for elevated-temperature applications. The future of material design and development will be based on a holistic ICME approach. However, key challenges exist in many aspects of ICME framework, such as the lack of diffusion/mobility databases for many materials systems, limitation of current microstructural modeling capability and integration tools for simulation codes of different length scales.     

A scenario-based object-oriented hypermedia design methodology

This paper defines an object-oriented methodology for developing hypermedia information systems. The methodology consists of six phases: domain analysis; object modeling; view design; navigation design; implementation design; and construction. Users' requirements are analyzed with a responsibility-driven technology using scenarios. Object-oriented views are generated as the result of object modeling, and then used for the subsequent navigation and implementation design. The implementation design phase deals with database schema, page structure and flow, and user interface. This methodology integrates enterprise databases with distributed hypermedia systems via Internet, Intranet, or Electronic Commerce.     

Improving reliability of cooperative concurrent systems with exception flow analysis

Developers of fault-tolerant distributed systems need to guarantee that fault tolerance mechanisms they build are in themselves reliable. Otherwise, these mechanisms might in the end negatively affect overall system dependability, thus defeating the purpose of introducing fault tolerance into the system. To achieve the desired levels of reliability, mechanisms for detecting and handling errors should be developed rigorously or formally. We present an approach to modeling and verifying fault-tolerant distributed systems that use exception handling as the main fault tolerance mechanism. In the proposed approach, a formal model is employed to specify the structure of a system in terms of cooperating participants that handle exceptions in a coordinated manner, and coordinated atomic actions serve as representatives of mechanisms for exception handling in concurrent systems. We validate the approach through two case studies: (i) a system responsible for managing a production cell, and (ii) a medical control system. In both systems, the proposed approach has helped us to uncover design faults in the form of implicit assumptions and omissions in the original specifications.     

Benefits of an item-centric enterprise-data model in logistics services: A case study

The paper uses a case example to present a novel way of building enterprise information systems. The objective is to bring forth the benefits of an item-centric systems design in environments that require real-time material visibility, such as in logistics service provision. The methodology employed is case study and metadata modeling. Managers of SE Mäkinen, a Finnish car distribution company were interviewed on the implementation and operation of their award winning enterprise system. The case example was then analyzed using a generic metadata model of item-centric systems.The main finding of the paper is that introducing an item-centric model facilitated responsive service in the distribution of automobiles. The practical implications are that when starting to develop a new enterprise system, managers in logistics services should consider an item-centric design solution as an option to the conventional location-based design for enterprise-data models.     

Automating the analysis of design component contracts

Software patterns are a new design paradigm used to solve problems that arise when developing software within a particular context. Patterns capture the static and dynamic structure and collaboration among the components in a software design. A key promise of the pattern‐based approach is that it may greatly simplify the construction of software systems out of building blocks and thus reuse experience and reduce cost. However, it also introduces significant problems in ensuring the integrity and reliability of these composed systems because of their complex software topologies, interactions and transactions. There is a need to capture these features as a contract through a formal model that allows us to analyze pattern‐based designs. In this paper, we provide an overview of a formal framework for ensuring the integrity of the compositions in object‐oriented designs by providing mathematically rigorous modeling and analysis techniques for object‐oriented systems comprising pattern‐based designs as the basic building blocks or design components. A case study related to a hypermedia Web‐based application has been presented to illustrate our approach in distributed systems. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Large-scale,high-resolution agricultural systems modeling using a hybrid approach combining grid computing and parallel processing

The solution of complex global challenges in the land system, such as food and energy security, requires information on the management of agricultural systems at a high spatial and temporal resolution over continental or global extents. However, computing capacity remains a barrier to large-scale, high-resolution agricultural modeling. To model wheat production, soil carbon, and nitrogen dynamics in Australia's cropping regions at a high resolution, we developed a hybrid computing approach combining parallel processing and grid computing. The hybrid approach distributes tasks across a heterogeneous grid computing pool and fully utilizes all the resources of computers within the pool. We simulated 325 management scenarios (nitrogen application rates and stubble management) at a daily time step over 122 years, for 12,707 climate–soil zones using the Windows-based Agricultural Production Systems SIMulator (APSIM). These simulations would have taken over 30 years on a single computer. Our hybrid high performance computing (HPC) approach completed the modeling within 10.5 days—a speed-up of over 1000 times—with most jobs finishing within the first few days. The approach utilizes existing idle organization-wide computing resources and eliminates the need to translate Windows-based models to other operating systems for implementation on computing clusters. There are however, numerous computing challenges that need to be addressed for the effective use of these techniques and there remain several potential areas for further performance improvement. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach in making high-resolution modeling of agricultural systems possible over continental and global scales.     

The adoption and design methodologies of component-based enterprise systems

One of the major investments of information technologies in large companies in the past decade has been the enterprise system. Although the enterprise system has the advantages of managing and integrating almost all of the business processes in the whole company, there have been strong criticisms that the enterprise system often imposes its own logic or business process on a company and lacks flexibility and adaptability in today's dynamic business environment. The goal of this paper is to outline a new approach in enterprise system development. We analyse the factors that affect the adoption of enterprise systems. Market and business changes, and advances in information technologies call for a more flexible, open, and scalable enterprise architecture. We describe the process that Dell Computer Corporation took in adopting its component-based enterprise system architecture. The Dell example has demonstrated the importance of fit between business information systems and fundamental organizational dimensions of the company including strategy, business environment, and organizational structure. We also discuss the design methodologies for component-based enterprise system design. We take a coordination perspective, both at the software level and the organizational level, in addressing the design methodologies for component-based enterprise system development.