Using Architecture Patterns to Architect and Analyze Systems of Systems

Abstract

The inherent nature of a Systems of Systems (SoS) makes it very difficult to model and analyze it through conventional means. One of the first challenges faced is how to represent the SoS in a form that lends itself to detailed analysis, especially when full details of the component systems may not be readily available. Therefore, an important consideration is whether use of model abstractions can be sufficient to deal with many of the analysis needs of the SoS. It is clear there is a need for a new paradigm, encompassing methodology, models, tools and flows that enable the future engineering of SoS in order that they can be operated effectively. This paper describes how we are using architecture patterns to architect and analyze SoS in order that we can compare different architecture solutions and provide guidelines for the development of a future architectures based on the analysis of existing architectures. Insights are given to show the benefits for SoS architecture analysis with exemplars taken from a test case dealing with emergency response for a major incident in the UK. Our findings show the significant increase in SoS characterization that patterns can afford the systems architect in all phases of SoS evolution in order to deliver improved SoS capability.