Multi-level Modeling as a Language Architecture for Reference Models: On the Example of the Smart Grid Domain

In this paper, we propose the use of multi-level modeling as an underlying language architecture for the creation and use of reference models. We focus on the added flexibility and expressiveness offered by multi-level modeling, such as, among others, the ability to express domain information at the appropriate level of abstraction, and removing the need for additional consistency checking mechanisms. We illustrate the use of multi-level modeling on the basis of a multi-level reference model for smart grid cybersecurity created using the Flexible Meta Modeling and Execution Language (FMMLx), and briefly showcase an implementation in the integrated modeling and programming environment XModeler.