Evolution is a key distinguishing trait of Systems-of-Systems (SoS) that introduces a layer of complexity in analysis that is not present when considering static systems. Some SoS analysis tools exist to determine and evaluate the evolution of an SoS, while other tools are better suited for studying individual instances of an SoS. System Operational Dependency Analysis (SODA) is one such method that has been used previously to study static SoS networks. SODA that has been proven effective in investigating the impacts of partial system disruptions and would benefit from a framework to apply SODA to evolving SoS. This thesis provides an approach to modeling evolving SoS in SODA and presents new data visualization methods to highlight the effects of changing network configurations across evolutionary phases. These visualization enhancements include Failure Impact Range sequence plots to show effects of deterministic system disruptions on capabilities of interest across evolutionary phases, as well as Stochastic Impact plots to quantify the impact of disruptions in particular systems in the context of the probabilistic operating statuses assigned to each system. Integration of SODA and the related method of System Developmental Dependency Analysis (SDDA) is explored to model how operational disruptions and developmental delays might interact and compound during the evolution of an SoS. The SODA enhancements provide decision makers with new information that can be used to explore design and implementation tradeoffs in an evolving SoS under budget and scheduling constraints. These ideas are demonstrated through a case study based on NASA's Artemis program to return humans to the Moon in commercially-built Human Landing Systems (HLS). The HLS concepts proposed to NASA consist of multiple elements that provide distinct capabilities in different phases of the lunar mission, and therefore can be considered an evolving SoS architecture. The operational dependencies of two HLS concepts are modeled across a four-phase lunar landing mission and results are generated using the new visualization methods to highlight the impacts of changing SoS configuration on the performance of key mission capabilities. The development timeline of the first three planned Artemis lunar landing missions is analyzed with SDDA and integrated with SODA results from one HLS concept to explore how developmental delays impact the likelihood of HLS mission completion and how operational failures requiring system redesign impact the program schedule. Connections between SDDA and Integrated Master Schedules (IMS) are discussed to show how SDDA results can be useful in a context more familiar to program managers.

This thesis presents the development and validation of a novel interface modelling methodology integrated with a system architectural analysis framework that emphasises the need to manage the integrity of deriving and allocating requirements across multiple levels of abstraction in a structured manner. The state of the art review in this research shows that there is no shared or complete interface definition model that could integrate diverse interaction viewpoints for defining system requirements with complete information. Furthermore, while existing system modelling approaches define system architecture with functions and their allocation to subsystems to meet system requirements, they do not robustly address the importance of considering well-defined interfaces in an integrated manner at each level of systems hierarchy. This results in decomposition and integration issues across the multiple levels of systems hierarchy. Therefore, this thesis develops and validates following: -Interface Analysis Template as a systematic tool that integrates diverse interaction viewpoints for modelling system interfaces with intensive information for deriving requirements. -Coupling Matrix as an architecture analysis framework that not only allocates functions to subsystems to meet requirements but also promotes consistent consideration of well-defined interfaces at each level of design hierarchy. Insights from the validation of developed approach with engineering case studies within an automotive OEM are discussed, reflecting on the effectiveness, efficiency and usability of the methods.

Aging infrastructure, along with the escalating occurrence and severity of extreme weather events linked to climate change, and the growing demands of an increasing population, have placed significant strains on wastewater and stormwater systems. Consequently, there has been a rise in instances of Combined and Sanitary Sewer Overflows (CSOs and SSOs), among other related problems. These challenges have intensified the impact of sewershed issues on both society and the environment. Fortunately, recent advancements in technology, such as sophisticated sensor technologies, more powerful processors, and advanced mathematical modeling techniques, have opened up new possibilities for developing intelligent water systems in the United States that are capable of making well-informed, data driven decisions. While the technological capabilities of these tools are advancing, their application in the water sector is limited and often siloed. Water utilities face a variety of challenges related to digitalization of sewershed management and require a more structured approach for their digital transformation. This research aims to present a comprehensive framework called iWISE (Intelligent Water Infrastructure Systems Engineering) that will serve as a blueprint to facilitate the implementation of Intelligent Sewersheds for water utilities across the country. The proposed framework will focus on enhancing our understanding of various aspects, including system of systems thinking, data management, modeling techniques, decision-making processes, and service delivery, in order to adopt a more intelligent and efficient approach to managing sewersheds. This framework was piloted with small, medium and large scale utilities to capture feedback on the proposed building blocks from a real world perspective and the findings from these interviews reveal that most utilities are in the preliminary stages of intelligent water systems implementation, and is more common among large utilities as compared to their small and medium counterparts. / Master of Science / Water infrastructure in the United States is facing several challenges like the deterioration of infrastructure with time, increasing extreme weather events like flooding due to climate change, and growing population demands. These issues are putting a lot of pressure on wastewater and stormwater systems, leading to more instances of Combined and Sanitary Sewer Overflows (CSOs and SSOs) and other related problems that have significant negative impacts on both the society and the natural environment. Fortunately, recent advancements in technology like remote sensing, internet of things, increased computing power and advanced data analysis tools like artificial intelligence and machine learning, have provided opportunities for water utilities to improve their sewershed management practices. This research introduces a comprehensive framework called iWISE (Intelligent Water Infrastructure Systems Engineering) to help implement the new technologies and practices available for water utilities nationwide to improve the efficiency and reliability of sewershed management. The framework focuses on improving our understanding of different aspects like how a sewershed and its components are defined, collecting and managing data parameters, modeling techniques, decision-making, and service delivery. The framework was piloted with small, medium, and large scale utilities to get real-world feedback. The findings showed that most utilities are in the early stages of adopting intelligent water systems, and larger utilities are more likely to use these technologies compared to smaller ones.

Software-based system architecture has been recognized as a foundation laying out the underpinnings that are critically important for successful engineering of large-scale complex systems. In recent years, architecting has played a more crucial role in engineering network-centric system of systems. The software paradigm has been shifting from treating software as a product (SaaP) to treating software as a service (SaaS). SaaS is also referred to as the Cloud Computing, where the term "cloud" is used as a metaphor for "network". As the complexity of the architecture of network-centric software-based system of systems has increased, the description of such architecture has posed significant technical challenges. The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) has developed the DoD Architecture Framework [DoDAF 2009a, DoDAF 2009b] for describing system architectures. IEEE proposes a Recommended Practice for Architectural Description of Software-Intensive Systems [IEEE 2000]. SEI provides high-level guidelines for Documenting Software Architectures [Clements et al 2003]. However, all of the diagrams proposed by DoD, IEEE, and SEI are two-dimensional static graphical and textual representations that do not reveal the dynamic characteristics of a system architecture. This thesis presents a conceptual framework (CF) for specifying the architecture of a network-centric software-based system of systems. The developed CF provides the beginning part of a larger research effort. The main goal of the overall research is to employ the automation-based software paradigm and to automatically generate a visual simulation model of a system architecture, with which experiments can be conducted to assess the dynamic characteristics of that architecture. The CF, developed in the research described herein, enables the automatic generation of a visual simulation model representing a system architecture. The proposed CF is evaluated in half a dozen case studies to demonstrate that it provides the necessary elements for automatic generation of a simulation model as the description of a complex system of systems architecture. / Master of Science

With the advance of reliable network technology, software development has progressed from traditional, platform-centric software construction to network-centric software evolution. An evidence of this change is largely reflected in the technologies that are supporting the emerging theory of Network-Centric Operations (NCO). Amongst these technologies is software architecture as a software engineering sub-discipline. Although the concepts of network centricity are widely recognized within the software and system engineering communities, no unified characterization of network-centric software systems is unanimously adopted. The state-of-the-practice is characterized by differing interpretations about how we should design and implement this class of systems. In this research, our focus is twofold: 1) Providing a characterization framework to reason about network-centric software systems and 2) introducing one solution approach to designing this class of system based on a new architectural style, the network-centric architectural style. In so doing, we set the stage for the software architecture community to analyze the "fitness of use" of current architectural styles and architecture design practices within this new network-centric paradigm. In addition, we set the stage for our continued research that will address further software engineering challenges pertinent to network-centric software systems, which include capability-based requirements engineering and quality attributes-based design. / Master of Science

In October 2012, Hurricane Sandy caused massive disruption and destruction to the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. The intensity of the storm forced the Port of New York and New Jersey to close, forcing cargo diversion to the Port of Norfolk in Virginia. Because of the Jones Act restriction on foreign vessels moving between U.S. ports, the restriction on short sea shipping was viewed as a barrier to recovery. Much of the critical infrastructure resilience and security literature focuses on the "hardening" of physical infrastructure, but not the relationship between law, policy, and critical infrastructure. Traditional views of transportation systems do not adequately address questions of governance and behaviors that contribute to resilience. In contrast, recent development of a System of Systems framework provides a conceptual framework to study the relationship of law and policy systems to the transportation systems they govern. Applying a System of Systems framework, this research analyzed the effect of relaxing the Jones Act on freight transportation networks experiencing a disruptive event. Using WebTRAGIS (Transportation Routing Analysis GIS), the results of the research demonstrate that relaxing the Jones Act had a marginal reduction on highway truck traffic and no change in rail traffic volume in the aftermath of a disruption. The research also analyzed the Jones Act waiver process and the barriers posed by the legal process involved in administration and review for Jones Act waivers. Recommendations on improving the waiver process include greater agency coordination and formal rulemaking to ensure certainty with the waiver process. This research is the first in studying the impact of the Jones Act on a multimodal freight transportation network. Likewise, the use of the System of Systems framework to conceptualize the law and a critical infrastructure system such as transportation provides future opportunities for studying different sets of laws and policies on infrastructure. This research externalizes law and policy systems from the transportation systems they govern. This can provide policymakers and planners with an opportunity to understand the impact of law and policy on the infrastructure systems they govern. / PHD

e-Learning is becoming an influential role as an economic method and a flexible mode of study in the institutions of higher education today which has a presence in an increasing number of college and university courses. e-Learning as system of systems is a dynamic and scalable environment. Within this environment, e-learning is still searching for a permanent, comfortable and serviceable position that is to be controlled, managed, flexible, accessible and continually up-to-date with the wider university structure. As most academic and business institutions and training centres around the world have adopted the e-learning concept and technology in order to create, deliver and manage their learning materials through the web, it has become the focus of investigation. However, management, monitoring and collaboration between these institutions and centres are limited. Existing technologies such as grid, web services and agents are promising better results. In this research a new architecture has been developed and adopted to make the e-learning environment more dynamic and scalable by dividing it into regional data grids which are managed and monitored by agents. Multi-agent technology has been applied to integrate each regional data grid with others in order to produce an architecture which is more scalable, reliable, and efficient. The result we refer to as Regionally Distributed Architecture for Dynamic e-Learning Environment (RDADeLE). Our RDADeLE architecture is an agent-based grid environment which is composed of components such as learners, staff, nodes, regional grids, grid services and Learning Objects (LOs). These components are built and organised as a multi-agent system (MAS) using the Java Agent Development (JADE) platform. The main role of the agents in our architecture is to control and monitor grid components in order to build an adaptable, extensible, and flexible grid-based e-learning system. Two techniques have been developed and adopted in the architecture to build LOs' information and grid services. The first technique is the XML-based Registries Technique (XRT). In this technique LOs' information is built using XML registries to be discovered by the learners. The registries are written in Dublin Core Metadata Initiative (DCMI) format. The second technique is the Registered-based Services Technique (RST). In this technique the services are grid services which are built using agents. The services are registered with the Directory Facilitator (DF) of a JADE platform in order to be discovered by all other components. All components of the RDADeLE system, including grid service, are built as a multi-agent system (MAS). Each regional grid in the first technique has only its own registry, whereas in the second technique the grid services of all regional grids have to be registered with the DF. We have evaluated the RDADeLE system guided by both techniques by building a simulation of the prototype. The prototype has a main interface which consists of the name of the system (RDADeLE) and a specification table which includes Number of Regional Grids, Number of Nodes, Maximum Number of Learners connected to each node, and Number of Grid Services to be filled by the administrator of the RDADeLE system in order to create the prototype. Using the RST technique shows that the RDADeLE system can be built with more regional grids with less memory consumption. Moreover, using the RST technique shows that more grid services can be registered in the RDADeLE system with a lower average search time and the search performance is increased compared with the XRT technique. Finally, using one or both techniques, the XRT or the RST, in the prototype does not affect the reliability of the RDADeLE system.

There are three different uses of the term 'information' in ordinary language: in the restricted sense, it means diverse types of material objects, such as data or documents ('information as thing'); alternatively, the term is used as in reference to the act of informing or becoming informed ('information as process'), or to equate to knowledge ('information as knowledge'). Each of these connotations represents a legitimate view of information in its own right, being equally significant to information-intensive organisations. The literature lacks studies that approach information from an integrative viewpoint, however. The purpose of this study was to explore and develop the notion of 'information governance' as an integrative, systemic approach to information in the context of research organisations. Soft Systems Methodology was used in a case study involving the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation. Qualitative data was gathered through in-depth interviews with researchers and information/knowledge managers, followed by a thematic, two-level analysis. From a 'macro level' of analysis (the wider Brazilian agricultural research system) it was found that, to solve increasingly complex research problems, collaborative, multidisciplinary networking is needed. On the other hand, competitive forces are continuously emanating from the systems of research steering, funds and resources' allocation, quality control, and recognition and reward. This conflict inhibits the collaborative sharing of 'information as thing' and 'as knowledge', disturbs internal communication flows and contributes to low levels of synergy and cross-departmental partnerships, ultimately affecting research outcomes. At a 'meso level' (the local practices and culture of agricultural knowledge production), different epistemic cultures were identified (named in vitro, in situ and in silico research), which respond differently to the opposing forces of collaboration and competition. Based on a deep understanding of the agricultural research system and underlying epistemic cultures, a framework for effective governance of information was developed. Action to improve the governance of information at Embrapa would involve nurturing an information culture that supports collaborative work. Given that interactions between researchers are determined by their individual pursuits and struggles, this would require a change in the corporate system of performance evaluation and reward, according to the different epistemic cultures.

While there is a growing recognition of the importance of System of Systems (SoS), there is still little agreement on just what they are or on by what principles they should be constructed. Actually, there are numerous SoS definitions in the literature. The difficulty in specifying what are the constituent systems, what they are supposed to do, and how they are going to do it frequently lead SoS initiatives to complete failures. Guided by a sample SoS that comprises all the distinguishing SoS characteristics and a generic SoS Engineering (SoSE) process, this thesis explores the SoS development from different Software Engineering (SE) perspectives that include requirements, analysis, design, and reengineering. For the Requirements Engineering (RE), we propose a scene-based RE approach to describe the SoS progressively as an arrangement of elementary but meaningful related behaviors named scenes. The objective is making easier the description and the understanding of the SoS dynamism. For the analysis, we propose extensions to statecharts to visually improve the modeling of systems interactions. They are symbolic notations that result from an analogy with multi-layer Printed Circuit Boards (PCB). The resulting diagrams are named PCBstatecharts. For the design, we propose an extension to the conventional SPLE process in such a way that SPL can become a natural source of SoS members. Domain engineering is extended to deliver components able to share abilities in SoS environments. Then, application engineers can design families of products that comply with different SoS requirements and still improve their products using the abilities of other SoS members. For the reengineering, we propose an approach extension to evolve legacy systems to SPL and then to SoS members. We demonstrate that when legacy systems are reengineered properly, they can share useful abilities, work cooperatively, and compose SoS / Apesar do crescente reconheciimento da importância de Sistemas de Sistemas (SoS) ainda não há um consenso sobre o que eles são um para que princípios devem ser construídos. De fato, existem várias definições de SoS na literatura. A dificuldade de especificar quais são os sistemas constituintes, as suas tarefas e como eles irão realizá-las frequentemente conduzem iniciativas de SoS ao completo fracasso. Guiados por um exemplo que inclui todas as características distintas de um SoS e um processo genérico de engenharia de SoS (SoSE), esta tese explora o desenvolvimento de SoS a partir de diferentes perspectivas da engenharia de software (SE), que incluem requisitos, análise, projeto e reengenharia. Para a engenharia de requisitos (RE) é proposta uma abordagem para descrever progressivamente um SoS como um arranjo de comportamentos mais simples, porém significativos, denominados \'cenas\'. O objetivo é facilitar a descrição e o entendimento do SoS e seu dinamismo. Para a análise, propõe-se as extensões de statecharts para melhorar a modelagem das interações entre sistemas. Elas são notações simbólicas que resultam de uma analogia com placas de circuito impresso multi camadas (PCB). Os diagramas resultantes são denominados PCB-statecharts. Para o projeto, é proposta uma extensão para o processo convencional de engenharia de linha de produtos (SPLE), de tal forma que linhas de produto (SPL) possam se tornar uma fonte natural de membros para SoS. A engenharia de domínio é estendida para prover componentes capazes de compartilhar habilidades em ambientes de SoS. Desta forma, engenheiros de aplicação podem projetar famílias de produtos complacentes com diferentes requisitos de SoS e ainda melhorar seus produtos usando habilidades de outros membros de um SoS. Para a reengenharia propõe-se extensão de uma abordagem existente para evoluir legados para SPL e depois para membros de um SoS. O objetivo é demonstrar que quando sistemas legados são tratados apropriadamente, eles podem compartilhar habilidades úteis, trabalhar de maneira cooperativa e compor SoS

Nos últimos anos, a Internet expandiu-se de forma exponencial e tornou-se um sistema de comunicação entre milhões de pessoas. Em paralelo, houve um crescente avanço tecnológico na computação e comunicação. Nessa perspectiva, conceitos associados à Internet do Futuro e, em particular, à Internet das Coisas (IoT), têm sido pesquisados e amplamente aplicados em diferentes domínios, tais como transporte e saúde. No entanto, por ser um assunto recente, foi verificado em um mapeamento sistemático que existem lacunas de pesquisa em relação às abordagens de desenvolvimento de aplicações IoT. Por outro lado, foram identificadas semelhanças entre os conceitos de IoT e de Sistemas-de-Sistemas (SoS), que é uma composição de diversos sistemas constituintes (SCs), os quais possuem independência gerencial e operacional. Quando os SCs são integrados para compor um SoS, ocorrem comportamentos emergentes não disponíveis em quaisquer dos SCs individualmente. Em ambientes como cidades inteligentes, diversos sistemas heterogêneos podem se integrar rumo a um SoS, gerando benefícios aos cidadãos. Dessa forma, o objetivo deste trabalho de mestrado foi estabelecer uma abordagem para auxiliar o desenvolvimento de aplicações IoT com base nos conceitos de SoS, realizando a integração entre os diferentes tipos de SCs presentes em um ambiente inteligente por meio da utilização do paradigma orientado a serviços. Foi também apresentada uma prova de conceito em que a abordagem foi utilizada para desenvolver um SoS na área de controle de epidemia causada por mosquitos. / Recently, the Internet has exponentially expanded and became a communication system among millions of people. In parallel, there has been an increasing technological advance in computing and communication. Concepts related to the Internet of the Future and, particularly, the Internet of Things (IoT), have been widely investigated and employed in different domains, such as transportation and health. However, there are research gaps with regard to the development approaches of IoT applications, according to a systematic mapping. On the other hand, it has been identified similarities between the concepts of IoT and Systems-of-Systems (SoS), which is a composition of several constituent systems (CSs) with managerial and operational independence. A characteristic of SoS is to allow a behavior that is not available in SCs individually. In the smart cities domain, for instance, heterogeneous systems can be integrated into a SoS, generating benefits for citizens. In this perspective, the objective of this Masters work is to establish an approach for the development of IoT applications based on the concepts of SoS, realizing the integration between the different types of CSs present in an intelligent environment through the use of the service-oriented paradigm. A proof of concept was carried out, where the approach was employed to develop a SoS for epidemic control.