Modeling Standards

Different types of models are needed to support the analysis, specification, design, and verification of systems. The evolution of modeling standards enables the broad adoption of Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE).

Motivation for Modeling Standards

Modeling standards play an important role in defining agreed-upon system modeling concepts that can be represented for a particular domain of interest, and they enable integration of different types of models across domains of interest. Modeling standards are extremely important to support MBSE, which must integrate across disciplines, products, and technologies.

Standards for system modeling languages also can enable cross-discipline, cross-project, and cross-organization communication. This communication offers the potential to reduce training requirements for practitioners who need to learn about a particular system, and enables the reuse of system artifacts. Standard modeling languages also provide a common foundation for advancing the practice of systems engineering as do other Systems Engineering Standards.

Types of Modeling Standards

Many different standards apply to systems modeling. Modeling standards include standards for modeling languages, data exchange between models, and for transformation of one model to another to achieve semantic interoperability, as well as more general modeling standards. Each type of model can be used to represent different aspects of a system, such as representing the set of system components and their interconnections and interfaces, or representing a system to support performance analysis or reliability analysis.

Following is a partial list of representative modeling standards, including a common acronym for many and a reference where more information can be found.

Modeling Languages for Systems

Descriptive models. These standards apply to general descriptive modeling of systems.

Functional Flow Block Diagram (FFBD) (Oliver, Kelliher, and Keegan 1997)
Integration Definition for Functional Modeling (IDEF0) (NIST 1993)
Object Process Diagrams (OPD) and Object Process Language (OPL) (Dori 2002)
Systems Modeling Language (SysML) (OMG 2010a)
Unified Profile for DoDAF and MODAF (UPDM) (OMG 2011e)
Web ontology language (OWL) (W3C 2004b)

Analytical models and simulations. These standards apply to analytical models and simulations.

Distributed Interactive Simulation (DIS) (IEEE 1998)
High-Level Architecture (IEEE 2010)
Modelica (Modelica Association 2010)
Semantics of a Foundational Subset for Executable UML Models (FUML) (OMG 2011d)

Data Exchange Standards

These standards enable the exchange of information between models.

Application Protocol for Systems Engineering Data Exchange (ISO 10303-233) (AP-233) (ISO 2005)
Requirements Interchange Format (ReqIF) (OMG 2011c)
XML Metadata Interchange (XMI) (OMG 2003a)
Resource Description Framework (RDF) (W3C 2004a)

Model Transformations

These standards apply to transforming one model to another to support semantic interoperability.

Query View Transformations (QVT) (OMG 2011b)
SysML-Modelica Transformation (OMG 2010c)
SysML-OPM Transformation (Grobshtein and Dori 2008)

General Modeling Standards

These standards provide general frameworks for modeling.

Model-driven architecture (MDA®) (OMG 2003b)
IEEE 1471-2000 - Recommended Practice for Architectural Description of Software-Intensive Systems (ANSI/IEEE 2000) (ISO/IEC 2007)

Other Domain-Specific Modeling Standards

Software design models

These standards apply to modeling application software and/or embedded software design.

Architecture Analysis and Design Language (AADL) (SAE 2009)
Modeling and Analysis for Real-Time and Embedded Systems (MARTE) (OMG 2009)
Unified Modeling Language (UML) (OMG 2010b)

Hardware design models

These standards apply to modeling hardware design.

VHSIC Hardware Description Language (VHDL) (IEEE 2008)

Business process models

These standards apply to modeling business processes.

Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) (OMG 2011a)

References

Citations

ANSI/IEEE. 2000. Recommended Practice for Architectural Description for Software-Intensive Systems. New York, NY: American National Standards Institute (ANSI)/Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), ANSI/IEEE 1471-2000.

Grobshtein, Y. and Dori, D. 2008. "Evaluating Aspects of Systems Modeling Languages by Example: SysML and OPM". Proceedings of the 2008 INCOSE Annual International Symposium. Utrecht, Netherlands.

IEEE. 1998. Distributed Interactive Simulation (DIS). Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers. Available at http://standards.ieee.org/develop/project/1278.2.html.

IEEE. 2008. VHSIC hardware description language (VHDL). IEEE Standard 1076-2008. Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Available at http://standards.ieee.org/findstds/standard/1076-2008.html.

IEEE. 2010. Standard for High Level Architecture, IEEE Standard 1516. Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers. Available at http://standards.ieee.org/develop/intl/intlstds.html

ISO. 2005. Application Protocol for Systems Engineering Data Exchange. (ISO 10303-233). International Organization for Standardization. Available at http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_ics/catalogue_detail_ics.htm?csnumber=55257.

ISO/IEC. 2007. Systems and Software Engineering — Recommended Practice for Architectural Description of Software-intensive Systems, International Organization for Standardization/International Electrotechnical Commission, September 12, 2007. ISO/IEC 42010:2007. Available at http://www.iso.org/iso/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=45991.

Modelica Association. 2010. Modelica® - A Unified Object-Oriented Language for Physical Systems Modeling, Language Specification, Version 3.2. Modelica Association. Available at https://www.modelica.org/documents/ModelicaSpec32.pdf.

NIST. 1993. Integration Definition for Functional Modeling (IDEF0). National Institute for Standards and Technologies. Available at http://www.idef.com/IDEF0.htm.

Oliver, D., Kelliher, T., and Keegan. J. 1997. Engineering Complex Systems with Models and Objects. New York, NY, USA: McGraw Hill. Available at http://www.incose.org/ProductsPubs/DOC/EngComplexSys.pdf.

OMG 2003a. XML Metadata Interchange (XMI), Version 1.1. Needham, MA, USA: Object Management Group. Available at http://www.omg.org/spec/XML/.

OMG. 2003b. Model driven architecture (MDA®), Version 1.0.1. Needham, MA, USA: Object Management Group. Available at http://www.omg.org/mda.

OMG. 2009. Modeling and Analysis for Real-Time and Embedded Systems (MARTE), Version 1.0. Object Management Group. Available at http://www.omg.org/spec/MARTE/1.0/.

OMG. 2010a. OMG Systems Modeling Language (SysML), Version 1.2. Needham, MA, USA: Object Management Group. Available at http://www.sysml.org/docs/specs/OMGSysML-v1.2-10-06-02.pdf.

OMG. 2010b. Unified Modeling Language™ (UML), Version 2.. Needham, MA, USA: Object Management Group. Available at http://www.omg.org/spec/UML/.

OMG. 2010c. SysML-Modelica Transformation Specification, Beta Version. Needham, MA, USA: Object Management Group. Available at http://www.omg.org/spec/SyM/.

OMG. 2011a. Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN), Version 2.0. Needham, MA, USA: Object Management Group. Available at http://www.omg.org/spec/BPMN/2.0/ . OMG. 2011b. Query View Transformations (QVT), Version 1.1. Needham, MA, USA: Object Management Group. Available at http://www.omg.org/spec/QVT/1.1/.

OMG. 2011c. Requirements Interchange Format (ReqIF), Version 1.0.1. Needham, MA, USA: Object Management Group. Available at http://www.omg.org/spec/ReqIF/.

OMG. 2011d. Semantics of a Foundational Subset for Executable UML Models (FUML), Version 1.0. Needham, MA, USA: Object Management Group. Available at http://www.omg.org/spec/FUML/1.0/.

OMG. 2011e. Unified Profile for DoDAF and MODAF (UPDM), Version 1.1. Needham, MA, USA: Object Management Group. Available at http://www.omg.org/spec/UPDM/.

SAE. 2009. Architecture Analysis & Design Language (AADL). Warrendale, PA, USA: SAE International. Available at http://standards.sae.org/as5506a/.

W3C. 2004a. Resource Description Framework (RDF), Version 1.0. World Wide Web Consortium. Available at http://www.w3.org/RDF/.

W3C. 2004b. Web ontology language. (OWL). World Wide Web Consortium. Available at http://www.w3.org/2004/OWL.

Primary References

No primary references have been identified for version 0.5. Please provide any recommendations on primary references in your review.

Additional References

Dori, D. 2002. Object-Process Methodology – A Holistic Systems Paradigm. Berlin, Germany: Heidelberg; New York, NY, USA: Springer Verlag. http://www.amazon.com/Object-Process-Methodology-Dov-Dori/dp/3540654712

Friedenthal, S., A. Moore, and R. Steiner. 2009. "Chapter 1" in A Practical Guide to SysML: The Systems Modeling Language. Needham, MA, USA: OMG Press.

Fritzon, P. 2004. Object-oriented modeling and simulation with Modelica 2.1. New York, NY, USA: Wiley Interscience and IEEE Press.

Grobshtein, Y. and D. Dori. 2011. "Generating SysML Views from an OPM Model: Design and Evaluation" in Systems Engineering, DOI 10.1002/sys.20181. Available at: http://esml.iem.technion.ac.il/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/GeneratingSysMLViewsFromAnOPMModel.pdf.

Paredis, C. J. J., et al. 2010. "An overview of the SysML-modelica transformation specification". Proceedings of the 20th Annual International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE) International Symposium, 12-15 July 2010, Chicago, IL.

Weilkiens, T. 2008. Systems Engineering with SysML/UML. Needham, MA, USA: OMG Press.