=Paper=
{{Paper
|id=Vol-2906/paper4
|storemode=property
|title=Flexible Multi-aspect Model Integration for Cyber-Physical Production Systems Engineering
|pdfUrl=https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2906/paper4.pdf
|volume=Vol-2906
|authors=Felix Rinker
|dblpUrl=https://dblp.org/rec/conf/caise/Rinker21
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==Flexible Multi-aspect Model Integration for Cyber-Physical Production Systems Engineering==
https://ceur-ws.org/Vol-2906/paper4.pdf
Flexible Multi-Aspect Model Integration for
Cyber-Physical Production Systems Engineering
Felix Rinker
Christian Doppler Lab CDL-SQI
Institute of Information Systems Engineering
Technische Universität Wien, Vienna, Austria
felix.rinker@tuwien.ac.at
Abstract. Background. Consistent cross-disciplinary engineering data
models have become increasingly important for engineers and project
managers to validate system designs or implement new features in exist-
ing systems. However, discipline-specific designs (mechanical, electrical,
automation engineering etc.) in isolated data models and proprietary
software tools often create information silos. Similar to information sys-
tems, the challenges in Cyber-Physical Production System (CPPS) are a
high amount of heterogeneous data that needs to be analysed and acces-
sible for stakeholders and systems. Aim. The goal of the Flexible Multi-
aspect Model Integration project is to support the integration of local
engineering views and artefacts using the definition of common concepts
across different disciplines. Therefore, the thesis project will provide ca-
pabilities to integrate and validate multi-aspect models more efficiently
to increase the data quality. Method. The project will follow Design Sci-
ence methodology to design and evaluate i) a method for collecting and
defining common concepts across engineering disciplines, ii) a modu-
larised software system design that enables flexible model integration
processes in a CPPS context, and iii) an exemplary model integration
process that supports data integration needs in the planning, operation,
and analytics phase. The model integration processes are evaluated with
real-world uses cases from industry. Conclusion. The information sys-
tems community will gain insight into the requirements in engineering
and a method for agreeing on an inter-disciplinary common understand-
ing from this research.
Keywords: Industry 4.0 · Multi-Aspect Information System · Multi-
Disciplinary Engineering
1 Introduction
Cyber-Physical Production Systems (CPPSs), a foundation for addressing the
Industry 4.0 vision [25] of flexible production, are complex systems that require
cross-disciplinary engineering views, such as mechanical, electrical or automation
engineering [1]. These disciplines share common engineering object or system
parts, on which each discipline has a specific view, including specialised data
models and property naming.
Copyright © 2021 for this paper by its authors. Use permitted under Creative Commons License
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
32 Rinker et al.
Information System Engineering (ISE) for CPPS use cases, like digital shad-
ows, require techniques for (i) automated aggregation and reduction of data,
(ii) data analysis methods, (iii) data accessibility to stakeholder and systems
and (iv) feedback for decision support and system controlling [14]. Therefore,
the integration and harmonisation of all this data is an essential task in CPPS
engineering to increase to overall data quality [28].
To enable these CPPS aspects the discipline-specific views, local data sources
and stakeholder concerns need to be successful integrated in a combined model
for further validation and verification of the system design [26]. A major concern
for building such a combined interdisciplinary model is the interoperability of
software systems as a critical factor for increasing productivity and reducing
costs in the automation of production and manufacturing systems [5, 27].
The real-world use case from our industry partner data exchange towards
production system simulation [4], illustrates a typical data exchange and model
integration process and key discipline-specific views and is depicted in Figure 1:
Plant Planner
C1 Motor
Mechanical
Engineer
C3
Squirrel-Cage Motor C2
Simulation
Engineer
Three-Phase
Induction Motor
Control
Electrical
Engineer
Three-Phase
Induction Motor
Automation Engineer
Engineering Simulation Engineering
Data Exchange Updates Data Delivery Backflow
Data Artifact
Fig. 1: Data Exchange Towards Production System Simulation Use Case and
Challenges.
Flexible Multi-aspect Model Integration for CPPS 33
The plant planner designs the initial CPPS functions and structure. Subse-
quently, the mechanical engineer builds up the system tree based on the basic
plan with mechanical functions, system parts, properties, and location of parts.
Next, the electrical engineer adds electrical components with interfaces to the
mechanical parts and views (electrical system parameters, such as voltage or en-
ergy supply). Finally, the automation engineer adds control code that automates
the previous engineered parts. At a later stage, the simulation expert integrates
the engineering artefacts from basic, mechanical, electrical and automation en-
gineering to design the simulation model.
Ideally, these tasks would be completed sequentially. Yet, engineers design in
parallel regularly triggering follow-up changes across disciplines due to increased
competition and complex dependencies between hard- and software. Hence, they
need to synchronise engineering artefacts during the engineering phase. These
data are often synchronised and integrated manually or with poor tool sup-
port that takes additional effort and tends to be error-prone, inducing avoidable
project risks.
Challenges to Data Integration in CPPS Engineering. Information sys-
tems and computer-assisted engineering aim at supporting model integration
processes to achieve a common view on engineering objects and accessing the
combined model. However, we have identified the following challenges (depicted
in Figure 1) from the industrial use case and literature [11, 16, 17].
C1 Information loss due to artefact-based data exchange. Data ex-
change in a multi-disciplinary environment is usually based on artefact-based
transactions across several workgroups [3]. The use of proprietary or hierarchy
limited file formats, such as PDF, spreadsheets or drawings, can lead to infor-
mation loss [17]. The reasons can be the unclear syntax of engineering data or
difficulties with traceability of file updates leading to diverging work versions.
As a result, inconsistencies and difficulties with data integration often arise.
C2 High effort of repetitive tasks and configuration of domain data.
Data integration in a multi-disciplinary process often requires repetitive tasks
that are usually performed manually or require high configuration effort [11].
This is because the engineering data exchange is not regarded as a value-creating
business process, and thus data providers send their data in discipline-specific
formats and structures. Often data structures change during the project, bearing
the effort for data extraction and integration on data consumers [3].
C3 Insufficient common understanding of system boundaries. From
the engineers perspective, foreign views and data formats from other disciplines
are, in general, not visible [16]. However, the general heterogeneity of existing
interfaces and system boundaries, views and process complicates the design of
common understanding (cf. Figure 2) and thus also error detection [26].
Aim. The proposed doctoral thesis aims to address the factors that lead to
low data quality within industrial information systems. Low data quality and
the aforementioned issues with data integration hinder the system transforma-
tion towards more complex use cases, such as digital twin, big data or adaptive
34 Rinker et al.
CPPS architectures. We aim at proposing an information system design that
will improve the data exchange and integration in Multi-Disciplinary Engineer-
ing (MDE) (see Figure 2).
Integration Engineering Data Logistics Delivery
Domain-agnostic network
Data Curator
View CC
CC CC
CC
Analyst
View
Select Deliver
Domain CC CC *.pdf
Experts Drive Motor
V V
Interface
Import Integrate Views
*.pdf V V
V V
V V
V V
V V
View
View
CC CC
Device Signal Domain-specific hierarchy
V V
V V Simulation
Engineers V V Expert
View
CC
Import Integrate V V Select Deliver
*.csv *.csv
Common Unified Model CC
CC
CC
Fig. 2: Data Integration Information System Design for MDE.
The multi-aspect information system consists of three parts: (1) Data in-
tegration will handle the import, transformation and integration to Common
Concepts (CCs) of engineering artefacts coming from data providers, such as
engineers or domain experts. (2) Engineering data logistics will handle the com-
mon unified model. The data curator will be responsible for the management of
discipline-specific concepts, their relations to CCs and semantic links between
engineering views. (3) Data delivery will handle specific data consumer requests.
Data consumers will be able to request data deliveries (a) in their domain-specific
hierarchy (e.g., a simulation view) or (b) as domain-agnostic networks (e.g., for
analysis tasks across several engineering views) [2]. New views, data integration
and data delivery workflows will be efficiently added by configuration.
The advantage of this information system design will be the flexible adaption
to different application environments and delivery needs. This will improve the
work process of multi-disciplinary environments and facilitate more efficient data
provision that will likely lead to better data quality for consumers.
2 Related Work
The challenges to data integration (cf. Section 1) lead to an error-prone and
inefficient knowledge creation and quality assurance in information system engi-
neering in Industry 4.0, and can lead to information loss or silos.
Flexible Multi-aspect Model Integration for CPPS 35
System modelling in CPPS engineering is challenging due to discipline-
specific views, tools, languages and legacy system environments [23]. For the
Industry 4.0 vision, domain-specific modelling languages are a crucial part to fa-
cilitate model-driven engineering for complex data-driven use cases [30]. Several
initiatives, such as the Reference Architecture Model for Industry 4.0 (RAMI
4.0) and new standards and technologies, such as AutomationML (AML), Sys-
tems Modeling Language (SysML) or OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA), aim
at alleviating these limitations [9]. A notable approach for enterprise integration
in the manufacturing domain is the Computer Integrated Manufacturing Open
System Architecture (CIMOSA) framework, especially object capability profiles
and collaboration view to organise collaborative organisation networks [13]. On
the one hand, these solution designs have made fundamental contribution to
the conceptual key elements and abstraction layers of interoperability. However
the translation to the applied field is still challenging due to the lack of stan-
dardisation. Missing system interface and boundary object [22] information are
impediments to consistent data integration. On the other hand, semantic web
technologies, like ontologies, seem promising as a solution approach for describing
and managing such integration knowledge, but their construction is still highly
complex and lacks adequate tool support [11].
Inconsistency management and consistency checking in systems engineer-
ing is crucial to organise collaborative organisation networks. Egyed et al. [6]
use Object Constraint Language (OCL) expressions to maintain consistent de-
pendencies across engineering objects and views in UML/SysML multi-models.
Kattner et al. [12] investigate inconsistency management in heterogeneous engi-
neering models and propose an approach to identify model dependencies. Both
approaches require precise data and process knowledge of the organisation and
information system, which is often not well defined in Multi-Disciplinary Engi-
neering Environment (MDEE).
The thesis will explore methods that build on the strengths of these mod-
elling and inconsistency management approaches and mitigate the impact of
their shortcomings on the data exchange process.
Engineering data logistics [4] in Multi-Disciplinary Engineering is a socio-
technical system ensuring that engineers receive the required data at the right
amount, quality, and point in time. The system realises an interdisciplinary
round-trip data exchange, transformation, integration, and selection [3]. A major
concern for information modelling in an industrial context is the lack of adequate
multi-view modelling processes [7]. Relevant groundwork is established by the
research around Multi-perspective Enterprise Modeling (MEMO) both from the
requirements and the meta-modelling perspective [8].
Open challenges mentioned in this context are the lack of use case scenarios
and the need for an adaptable architecture to cover enterprise model evolution.
Tunjic et al. [24] proposed the Single Underlying Model (SUM), as a method to
synchronise multiple model views, which is automatically populated with data
from single views, based on previously defined mappings.
36 Rinker et al.
In this work, we build on the SUM concept and engineering data logistics to
enable a common unified model with processes for distributed data integration
and model evolution.
3 Research Questions
To address the challenges to data integration introduced in Section 1, we raise
the following research questions (RQs).
RQ1: What are requirements and capabilities to enable multi-view
model integration towards a common model view? RQ1 investigates the
multi-view capabilities needed to integrate different viewpoints in CPPS engi-
neering. We will elicit requirements from relevant industrial use cases for inte-
grating heterogeneous views. We will also explore different data integration ap-
proaches and methods to find common attributes and concepts among different
system contexts. We will elicit these capabilities from literature and industrial
use cases.
RQ2: What methods can address the multi-aspect model integration in
CPPS engineering? This research question aims at developing and evaluating
methods for multi-aspect model integration to address the requirements coming
from RQ1. First, we will define a method for collecting engineering concepts and
for defining common concepts, such as products, production processes, or pro-
duction resources, which link the discipline-specific engineering views. Second,
we will develop a method for designing a data integration pipeline consisting
of multi-aspect model integration operations and process flow specification as
a foundation for flexibly designing and configuring data transformation capa-
bilities for data integration and delivery (see Figure 2). Third, we will design
a method for operating pipelines for data integration and delivery based on
DevOps approaches.
RQ3: What information system design can automate multi-aspect
model integration in CPPS engineering? RQ3 aims at designing and eval-
uating a system that automates tasks for flexible multi-aspect model integra-
tion based on the methods coming from RQ2. We will develop a system design
that will include (a) tool support for common concept definition; (b) a Domain-
specific language (DSL) for data integration workflow specification considering
approaches such as DevOps and business process modelling; (c) data integration
operators that can be flexible orchestrated to data integration pipelines. In this
context, we define flexibility as the ease to adapt the system design to different
application environments, such as the number of engineering disciplines, data
sources and stakeholder perspective. We will conduct a workshop with domain
experts to evaluate the flexibility of our approach concerning the effort needed
to conduct adaption tasks.
Flexible Multi-aspect Model Integration for CPPS 37
4 Methodology
We follow the Design Science approach [10] and the Engineering Cycle based
on Wieringa [29] to define the research methodology.
In the problem investigation phase, we will conduct a domain analysis
to investigate what kind of data integration is required to support the CPPS
engineering process and data exchange. Specifically, we will focus on the key
stakeholders’ needs and processes and analyse their data models and existing
standards and solutions. Consequently, we will develop a conceptual problem
framework as a guiding use case for further system design and evaluation.
In the treatment design phase we will derive requirements for data in-
tegration needs from the conceptual problem framework. Candidate treatments
from model-driven engineering, semantic web, and software engineering will be
evaluated and investigated. Formal concepts from model-driven engineering, such
as the Meta Object Facility (MOF), will be explored to derive a DSL for object-
oriented meta-models. We will research semantic web-based methods on how to
construct and combine discipline-specific taxonomies and other structures. Also,
linking and integrating these discipline-specific taxonomies to a common model
will be a topic of interest. Further, we will explore software engineering design
patterns for modularising software system design.
In the treatment validation phase we will derive typical use cases for
stakeholder goals. Typical aspects include (i) data integration during CPPS en-
gineering, operation, e.g., integration of sensor data, (ii) connection to open
interfaces, such as OPCUA, and (iii) query aspects of the CPPS for non-experts
in information systems methods to analyse the process or to perform data quality
tasks.
In the treatment implementation phase we will develop a prototype that
realises the identified capabilities.
5 Preliminary results
We will build on recent research of the Christian Doppler Laboratory on Security
and Quality Improvement in the Production System Lifecycle [3, 4, 15, 18, 19, 28],
resulting from a technical debt analysis [28], which highlighted the gaps between
established practices and state of the art.
We have developed an engineering data exchange approach that focuses on
the data consumer’s needs and requirements [3]. The process is split into data
definition and data operation phases separating the exchange model building
and the concrete data exchange tasks. These results provide the basis to build
an initial prototype for multi-aspect model integration using AML, as a CPPS
engineering standard, as modelling language and evaluated it with industry part-
ners [4, 15].
To support domain experts in their analysis tasks, we have explored graph-
based visualisation methods that support domain experts to review multi-view
38 Rinker et al.
engineering data [20]. The developed prototype supports features, such as depen-
dency highlighting, easy graph node management and data search capabilities.
We designed and prototypically evaluated an initial approach of a multi-view
model transformation pipeline using a common underlying model and automated
by a Continuous Integration (CI) server [19].
6 Conclusion
This thesis’ aim is to overcome gaps and challenges in engineering data integra-
tion by combining semantic and model-based approaches to facilitate a lossless,
transparent and comprehensive data exchange and transformation. However,
major challenges of these techniques are a steep learning curve, high setup costs,
scarce expert knowledge required to gain the expected benefit [11] and limited
tool support. Thus, we consider novel approaches, such as low code [21], to pro-
vide an accessible way to implement multi-aspect model integration tool support,
which is needed to reduce technical debt in CPPS engineering [28]. This research
will contribute to the information system community artefacts, knowledge and
insights on (a) requirements and capabilities for multi-aspect data integration;
(b) method for multi-aspect model integration; and (c) flexible information sys-
tem design for multi-aspect model integration within the context of CPPS engi-
neering. At the current stage, we would like to ask the advisory committee: (1)
How to improve the understandability of the use case and challenges? (2) How
to improve the planned results for the research community? (3) What further
related work and research initiatives would you recommend? Thank you for your
valuable time and advice.
Acknowledgment
This doctoral thesis project is supervised by Stefan Biffl. The financial support
by the Christian Doppler Research Association, the Austrian Federal Ministry
for Digital & Economic Affairs and the National Foundation for Research, Tech-
nology and Development is gratefully acknowledged.
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