A time constrained System of Systems discovery process and canvas. A case study in agriculture technology focusing on an automated Asparagus Harvester.

Abstract

Agriculture is facing a period of unprecedented change resulting from the requirement to feed c. 10 billion mouths by 2050, while operating in a challenging business environment with increasing sustainability and consumer expectations. To meet these challenges many are looking to industry 4.0 technology as a solution, specifically the combination of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and in-field robotics. Although there have been successful prototypes from a functional perspective and promising start-ups, the complex nature of the agriculture system of systems creates a significant risk of mass adoption failure. The main risk stems from the majority of the hundreds of products being designed in isolation using closed hardware and software systems that are all aiming to serve the one farmer or grower. The current silo’d technology adoption approach is heading towards problems with usability, availability, viability, interoperability and adaptability. This paper proposes a new time constrained System of Systems (SoS) discovery process and supporting SoS Canvas, developed with the objective of increasing the adoption of SoS principles with non-technical stakeholders. The time constrained SoS discovery process consists of raising awareness, capturing data, modelling the SoS, modelling the System of Interest (SoI) and providing recommendations, often based on common challenges and opportunities from the SoS Canvas. The outcome of this initial case study prototyping the process, is a set of SysML diagrams demonstrating how the constituent systems currently contribute to emergent properties and recommendations to improve both the SoI and the SoS. Future research will focus on interoperability within agricultural technology (Agritech) and the potential for a SoS level digital twin, providing the capability to manage and optimise emergent properties for the betterment of all.