Systems Engineering Interoperability Conference Program

Enabling Unlimited Interoperability of Content between Heterogeneous SE Tools’ Ecosystem(s)

The REUSE Company: José Pereira

Interoperability as a concept is clearly a must within Systems Engineering. Once into practice, a glass ceiling lies over engineers: hundred of digital tools must interact among them, and with other hundreds of digital tools outside the organization. Even more, tools interoperability is only the basic enabler for proper systems engineering digital thread. Different methods must interoperate, different processes must interoperate, and different semantic ways to represent information and knowledge must interoperate.

In this presentation, José Pereira presents different ways to organize the interoperability information and methods and offers concrete solutions. A real solution of a practical case affecting interoperability between different tools (MBSE and requirements Management tools) from different organizations is demonstrated. Connecting Requirements in IBM DOORS with models in Sparx Enterprise Architect or other tool, collaborating between a model in IBM Rhapsody located in one continent and another model in DS Cameo located in a different continent are part of the demos to be shown.

MBSE semantic interoperability by the Space System Ontology

ESA: Quirien Wijnands

The presentation will deal with the objective of semantic interoperability as enabled by the Space System Ontology.

How the use of the conceptual data model, at first focussing on MBSE, not only enables interoperability but also (software) information system development.

Is Interoperability the Silver Bullet for Enabling a Digital Thread?

President & CEO, CIMdata, Inc.: Peter A. Bilello

Like most technology enabled trends, there tends to be more hype than reality, especially during the early days of study and implementation. So, where are we at today when we consider the digital thread? Are the necessary technologies available, and more importantly, are the technologies interoperable (i.e., can data be easily, quickly, and accurately shared and communicated through it?). This is critical in understanding if digital threads, or perhaps better stated digital webs, have reached their tipping point? Furthermore, for the past several decades, a lot has been talked about regarding openness and interoperability throughout the information technology (IT) industry. What does this mean to your organization and its quest to enable a digital thread? This is important because these data webs, in concept, need to connect hundreds, thousands, and perhaps millions of information nodes, data constructs and repositories, as well as IT systems, and that is where the value is believed to exist. So, is interoperability the silver bullet for enabling a digital thread? Many would argue that is. So, this and other important questions will be addressed during this keynote session.

Implementing Smart Traceability between Requirements and Models (Zig-Zag)

The REUSE Company: José Fuentes

In this presentation, you’ll learn about the iterative and recursive nature of Systems Engineering, which starts with defining requirements (the “what”) and architecture (the “why”) for a system. While MBSE tools like SysML help manage requirements and traces, they often lack crucial features found in dedicated Requirements Management tools, leading to challenges in integration. The zig-zag approach addresses these challenges by managing requirements and architecture across different tools. Discover how this method, along with effective interoperability solutions, enhances seamless integration across 50+ tools in the MBSE ecosystem.

The Ultimum Interoperability Challenge: Enabling the integration of Document Centric and Model-Based approaches

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid/The REUSE Company: Juan Llorens

Ensuring seamless collaboration between document-centric and model-based approaches is a growing challenge in safety-critical industries. As organizations move towards engineering digitalization, cohesive integration across diverse engineering workflows becomes essential. Digital threads offer a promising solution by integrating technical processes with the required technical management processes, such as configuration and quality management, as a key enabler to build a unified, traceable framework. Achieving this requires cross-domain interoperability and seamless integration, ensuring that all elements—from engineering artifacts to documents—are linked and synchronized.

The present approach ensures comprehensive traceability across all levels, supporting better decision-making and fostering collaboration in safety-critical environments. This keynote will explore how the synchronization of engineering artifacts and human-readable documents can be automated, providing a “single source of truth” that enhances collaboration, saves time, and reduces costs. By harmonizing these approaches and ensuring semantic interoperability, engineers can work more efficiently, align technical and management processes, and improve overall system reliability. The keynote will highlight the importance of robust traceability and real-time updates in driving innovation and safety within mission-critical systems engineering.

Interoperability Needs to Define a Proper Estimation Model: COSYSMO

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid: Francisco Somohano

A broad definition of interoperability refers to the ability of a system to work in conjunction with other system(s) to achieve an outcome effectively considering not only technical factors, but also social, political, operational, and economic ones. Then, interoperability requires a proper estimation model since the complexity of the integration, the unforeseen dependencies, the customization, compliance requirements, and risk management affect the effort in terms of person months and costs. The COnstructive SYStems engineering cost MOdel (COSYSMO) follows a parametric modelling approach used in the estimation of the quantity of systems engineering labor in person months that focuses on several aspects of the SE lifecycle, such as requirements, design, integration, and calibration. COSYSMO’s Cost Estimating Relationship (CER) was defined by SE engineering experts with size drivers and cost predictors as independent variables. Interoperability impacts the requirements, interfaces, algorithm complexity, integration efforts, scalability, level of service requirements and risky areas management. Hence, COSYSMO offers a valuable tool in planning and resource allocation with the estimation of the cost and effort associated with achieving interoperability.

Delegated Design: Interoperability Needs in the Frame of OEM – TIER Design

SAFRAN: Nicolas Gueit

With the progressive deployment of MBSE in the aerospace industry come new challenges, already identified and stated in the INCOSE Vision and other places.

Among them is the digital continuity between OEMs and their suppliers, and especially the interoperability for architecture models between a system supplier such as Safran Landing Systems and its customers.

Since MBSE is still quite young and has a relatively low maturity in the industry, no complete standard exists for the models in terms of language and methods. On top of that, many tool vendors are providing solutions, with different implementations and very few native exchange capabilities. The consequence is that most companies have their own unique framework (method, language, and tool).

In order to exchange architecture models, both parties need to define an exchange protocol, encompassing both the language, the modeling method, and a common data exchange format or tool.

This presentation will develop the challenges on all these aspects, from a supplier perspective, with different interoperability scenarios and future expectations for the standardization organizations and the tool vendors.

Interoperability with Supply Chain and the Digital Data Package

BOEING: Juan Carlos Mendo

The concept of Technical Data Package (TDP) has been traditionally defined in Mil-Standard 31000 and STEP Standard AP232. The package traditionally includes specifications, 2D drawings, schematics, and other items such as performance requirements, in order to define and manage the OEM/buyer to Supplier technical relationship.

With the end goal of bridging the gap between companies when applying digital engineering, the Industry is redefining and updating the concept of TDP so that it can include the right model-based artifacts and enable digital thread to cross the company boundaries.

The newer versions of TDP are path-finding example packages that already include models such as systems engineering architecture and requirements, behavior analysis models, 3D models, and their associated metadata, and relationships

Boeing is collaborating with other companies in Aerospace and Automotive sectors to formalize this concept and deliver the “Digital Data Package”, a standard meta-model solution for digital collaboration. DDP is being adopted by OMG, the Object Management Group, in a new OMG standardization projected named CASCaDE.

In order to provide consistent input to the Industry, Boeing utilizes the Supplier Engagement Framework (SEF). The SEF is used to classify, and prioritize model-based engagements with suppliers, and provides a measurement or compliance system for tool vendors.

This presentation will show how Boeing is driving the needs of the standard “Digital Data Package” DDP, via Boeing’s Supplier Engagement Framework, including Use Cases and Requirements for the next DDP standard solution, will showcase the value of DPP, and will engage with the audience on ways to get involved with DDP standardization.

Interoperability Needs and Demands in Small and Medium Enterprises

BEYOND AERO: Jean Duprez

Beyond Aero is a start-up founded in December 2020, with an increasing team of +50 highly qualified engineers, committed to build the first electric business aircraft, enabling six passengers to fly up to 1,500 km (800 nautical miles).

To do so, the company is redesigning the architecture of a CS23 aircraft around the hydrogen-electric propulsion, working on fuel cells and batteries hybridization, hydrogen tanks integration, and cooling system.

This ambition raises the need to quickly bring disruptive innovation to maturity, adding speed and agility to processes, quickly reaching and ensuring a high level of design maturity, and shortening cycles from concept to flight validation.

To do so, being a start-up gives us the needed agility to optimize and continuously improve our ways of working, our organization, and our means, going faster, in a cost-effective manner, and through incremental and iterative steps.

It implies us to adopt more and more innovative ways of working, increasing our efficiency and agility, while ensuring a high level of safety, quality, rigor, and trustworthiness.

It has thus led us to look for an extensive use of modeling and simulation techniques in our Systems Engineering workflows.

In order to ensure the full integration and sharing of the resulting digital artifacts, it implies us to progressively implement a global digital thread and to adopt a Digital Engineering approach. Moving to deploying Digital Engineering also paves the way for us to allow ensuring a global consistency and configuration management, to enable a tool-agnostic knowledge management and documentation, and thus, finally to ensure the capture and governance of trustworthy Authoritative Sources of Truth (ASoT).

It therefore implies us to deploy capabilities allowing to link and manage all related digital artifacts, whatever the associated tool, language or format is, whatever the associated discipline or domain is, and all along the overall Systems Engineering lifecycle. It implies us to deploy transverse consistency checking capabilities, and to provide a global interoperability framework, across our tooling ecosystem and potentially externally with partners and/or suppliers.

SysML v2: A Starting Point for Semantic Interoperability

Model Driven Solutions: Ed Seidewitz

SysML v2 is the recently adopted second version of the Systems Modeling Language from the Object Management Group (OMG). As the standard nears finalization, it is becoming clear that the new language will be pervasive in the growth of Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE). As one would expect, the existing SysML v1 community is intensively planning for the transition to v2. But, beyond that, other related systems modeling communities are also looking at leveraging or interoperating with the SysML v2 ecosystem. For example, work is ongoing on SysML v2 library-based approaches for the next generation of the Architecture Analysis and Design Language (AADL) and for interoperability between SysML v2 and Capella/Arcadia modeling tools. This then suggests the wider possibility of using the semantic modeling capabilities of SysML v2 to establish a general library-based approach for semantic interoperability between tools in an overall systems modeling environment.

Interoperability demands and needs for Acquisition Programs

Norwegian Defence Material Agency (NDMA): Jo Gravås, Ingeborg Garen

Defence Programs often fail to meet time and budget constraints, at the same time textual requirements remain a major source of problems in acquisition programs. Norwegian Defence Materiel Agency (NDMA) transforms stakeholder needs and requirements from the Norwegian Armed Forces (NAF) into system requirements in the role as acquirer in public procurement of military systems.

With a systematic approach to requirement quality, introducing elements of Model Based Systems Engineering and the use of requirements patterns, NDMA is improving current practice and reducing cost by providing correct, consistent and complete specifications alongside a structured acquisition process.

Interoperability Demands and Needs from the Systems Engineering Discipline

INCOSE: Sven-Olaf Schulze

The INCOSE Vision 2035 sees interoperability as an essential building block for the future of Systems Engineering. The ability for systems, technologies, and people to work together efficiently across disciplines, industries, and geographic boundaries is key to meeting the challenges of the coming decades. Interoperability enables the integration of complex systems, fosters innovation, supports sustainability, and lays the foundation for global collaboration in Systems Engineering.

For developers, engineers, and organizations, this means actively promoting interoperability and considering it as a fundamental design principle to realize the vision of a connected, flexible, and resilient future.

Interoperability is essential in Systems Engineering because it lays the foundation for collaboration in one world. It reduces costs and risks and paves the way for the integration of future technologies.

Interoperability is a cornerstone of the INCOSE Vision 2035 and from this requirements and needs can be derived and presented.

Interoperability Needs for the Automation of Certification Activities

AIRBUS DS: Miguel Angel Sanchez-Puebla, Benigno Zurita, Valérie Bourret, Christophe Ducamp AIRBUS: Nicolas Albert

MBSE is  part of Airbus vision and strategy. R-MOFLT-P is a generic & common MBSE Framework at Airbus Group Level for defining & architecting products, industrial systems and services through different viewpoints in a complete and consistent manner, and capitalize associated assets for further reuse while providing frame to integrate analysis’ feedback and ensure continuity to design, from the conceptual phase until certification and entry into service. This presentation will address how  R-MOFLT-P links with the certification process and its application to the A400M SBAS Landing System MBSE certification use case.

KEYNOTE: Interoperability Needs in the Frame of Missions

NASA: Erick Ordonez

Presentation of the Importance of Interoperability for NASA Missions and NASA System Design and what NASA is doing about it.

Solving the Quiz: Interoperability Solutions for Large Acquisition Programs

TRC Scandinanvia: Christer Fröling, Syntell: Martin Moberg

In today’s competitive landscape, efficiency and precision in acquisition programs are crucial. Join Martin Moberg from CAG Consulting and Christer Fröling from The REUSE Company as they reveal the power of the SES Engineering Studios coming Acquisition Studio capability —a cutting-edge, knowledge-centric approach designed to transform systems engineering to suit an acquisition landscape using, besides SES Engineering Studio, a standard MS office tool for data exchange and data validation. This presentation will guide you through a scalable and smart solution for managing data exchange, improving traceability, and ensuring interoperability throughout the acquisition lifecycle. Discover how leveraging this toolkit can streamline bid responses, enhance evaluation processes, and reduce risks while increasing efficiency. Don’t miss this opportunity to explore innovative methods for achieving seamless integration and improved quality in your systems engineering environment!

Semantic Interoperability: How to Collaborate Between MBX

SSI: Matthew Hause

Language, especially the English language can be distressingly confusing and imprecise. For example, Dictionary.com lists 41 distinct definitions of the word “Make”. This is by no means the largest number. Run: 645 definitions, Set: 430 definitions, Go: 368 definitions, Take: 343 definitions, Stand: 334 definitions, etc. This can make it difficult to understand which sense of the word is being used and what it “means”, which (by the way) has almost 100 definitions or meanings. Even native speakers can also have problems depending on context, social class, geography, culture, etc. This feature makes interoperability between stakeholders using the same language difficult, as it requires more than just mastering the common language. The existence of special meanings for common concepts or relationships when dealing with special domains become barriers to interoperability.

Translating between concepts in the digital thread of requirements, MBSE, PLM, physics-based models, CAD, etc. means crossing levels of abstraction as well as technical domains. Staying with MSBE, concepts in IDEF0, SysML, UAF, Capella, AADL, LML, BPMN, Petri-nets, etc., often cannot be directly transferred and must be approximated. Finally, having created these digital assets they must be discovered, curated, publicized and shared across projects and domains. Semantic interoperability is the only solution. It will allow meaningful traceability and interoperability throughout the digital thread and enable the INCOSE Vision 2035 to “fully leverage advances in digital technologies and modeling standards to benefit from internet connectivity and knowledge representation to provide seamless exchange of information with other disciplines as part of a broader enterprise digital engineering environment.”

Squaring a Circle: How to Integrate Models and Documents with No Pain

The REUSE Company: Luis Alonso

Collaboration between SE disciplines is essential for improving productivity and time to market. This demo session will focus on seamlessly integrating requirement documents, models, and simulations into the already existing tooling environment with an interactive interoperability solution.

Collaborative Interoperability: Needs from Large Collaborative Defense Projects

INDRA: Oroitz Elgezabal

The presentation describes the challenges found in the collaborative development of complex System of Systems, covering from the interconnection of the involved parties through a secured digital infrastructure, through the interoperability of tools, processes and data models up to the management of knowledge generated.