Using UML to model dependencies in systems of systems

Abstract

During the last years, mutual dependencies have been apparent in several incidents in critical infrastructures. This has lead to increased focus on the protection of critical infrastructures. One challenge in protecting critical infrastructures is to understand the impact that mutual dependencies have on the overall risk level. In order to do such an analysis, we first need to be able to model dependencies in critical infrastructures. Several inter-connected critical infrastructures make up a system of systems. In our current work in the DIGIT project we are evaluating whether UML and SysML can be suitable candidates for modeling dependencies in systems of systems. In this paper we will present some preliminary results of the use of UML to model dependencies in systems of systems.