A Semantically Enriched Goal-Oriented Referential Integrity Model in Systems of Systems Context

Abstract

System of Systems (SoS) results from the collaboration of a set of independent socio and technical constituent systems, largely driven by stakeholders' needs and goals taking into consideration SoS high-level goals and the constituent systems-level individual goals. It's challenging to manage the satisfaction of these goals in such large and complex SoS arrangement, where links between these goals may not be clearly known or specified. Additionally, competing stakeholders' interests and goals establish a complex stakeholder environment. In this research the i* goal-oriented framework has been utilised in SoS context to identify, model and manage goals of the overall SoS and its constituent systems. This paper discusses a novel Goals Referential Integrity (GRI) model that is aimed at maintaining the integrity and consistency of both the SoS-level and the constituent systems-level goals, in an attempt to address the current challenges of managing goals in an SoS arrangement. Furthermore, an ontology-based model has been developed to (1) support the GRI model and semantically annotates goals' levels in SoS context, and (2) specify the relationships and linkages between the SoS organisation, its constituent systems, global and local goals, and strategic and policy documents. Together the GRI model and its associated ontology model form the Semantic Goal Referential Integrity (SGRI) applied in SoS context, where conflicts between goals at the SoS and the constituent systems levels can be discovered in an attempt to maintain the semantic integrity of the SoS and constituent systems goals.