A Systems Engineering Methodology for Analyzing Systems of Systems Using the Systems Modeling Language (SysML)

A systems engineering methodology for analyzing a system of systems (SoS) elucidated in this paper involves the use of process modeling, modeling of the SoS with the systems modeling language (SysML), and subsequent conversion of the resulting SysML model into an end-to-end system of systems executable object-oriented simulation model. A process is a series of actions undertaken by a system or a system of systems to produce one or more end results, typically products and services. The SysML extends and customizes UML 2 to support systems engineering activities in engineering of complex systems. The methodology represents part of our on-going research at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in establishing an integrated methodology for SoS architecting and engineering to be used in industry. In this paper we will explain the methodology and emphasize the correspondence between the SysML representation of a conceptual SoS and its executable model (via ExtendTM); we will also illustrate the methodology with an exploratory application to analysis of a coalition U.S.Singapore SoS architecture employed to counter terrorism emanating from the maritime domain. Our future work is aimed at extending the methodology and improving its rigor and tying it to ontological engineering.