Enabling model-based requirements engineering in a complex industrial System of Systems environment

Abstract

The fourth industrial revolution resulted in the emergence of new ways for engineering production lines with the goal to optimize manufacturing processes by reducing expenses at the same time. This trend is mainly supported by the application of interconnected components, which are managed in a distributed way, as impelled by the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) or Cyber-physical Systems (CPS). While the complexity of these Systems of Systems (SoSs) is constantly rising, requirements engineering before actual implementing the system becomes increasingly difficult. Thus, comprehensive frameworks providing a foundation for model-based systems engineering, like the Reference Architecture Model Industrie 4.0 (RAMI 4.0) or the Software Platform Embedded Systems (SPES), have been introduced. Although providing a standardized methodology, missing formalizations impede the modeling of systems according to detailed architectural specifications. To address these issues, this paper introduces an approach for eliciting, specifying and managing requirements according to a particular process and aligned to architectural standards. In the end, the result is evaluated by a real-world case study. The outcome of this work will either verify the future system to develop by ensuring traceability or enable interoperability by dealing as a consistent reference point across viewpoints, systems or even domains.