Understanding patterns for system of systems integration

Abstract

Architecting systems of systems is well known to be a formidable challenge. A major aspect in this is defining the integration among the systems that constitute the system of systems. In this paper, we aim to support the SoS architect by systematically developing a way to characterize system of systems integration patterns. These characteristics at the same time support the architecting process by highlighting important issues a SoS architect needs to consider. We discuss the consolidated template and illustrate it with an example pattern. We also discuss the integration of this novel pattern approach into the overall architecting process.