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Saikou Diallo

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Old Dominion University

Charles D Turnitsa

Columbus State University (columbusstate.edu)

Charles Turnitsa

Georgia Institute of Technology

Bernard Zeigler

University of Arizona

Hessam Sarjoughian

Arizona State University

George Mason University

Delft University of Technology

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Papers by Saikou Diallo

Model-based alignment and orchestration of heterogeneous homeland security applications enabling composition of system of systems

One of the main challenges for Homeland Security applications is the fact that the different supp... more One of the main challenges for Homeland Security applications is the fact that the different supporting organizations, services, and nations come to the table with existing information technology, supporting established business and organization processes, and using organization-specific data models. This paper shows how to support multiorganization processes with a federation of their heterogeneous IT-solutions based on the alignment and orchestration of applications with regard to the underlying models of those solutions. While processes are orchestrated and aligned top-down, the supporting IT is migrated into a Homeland Security System-of-Systems bottom-up. Web services allow the loose coupling of participating systems and the consistent application of data engineering allows the auto-configuration of data mediation layers. This is made possible by considering first the solutions themselves, and their models (the top-down approach), and only then the application of data engineering to aligning those models (the bottom-up approach).

Web Services based on the C2IEDM - Data Mediation and Data Storage

This paper shows how the ideas of web services and Model-Based Data Management (MBDM) are merged ... more This paper shows how the ideas of web services and Model-Based Data Management (MBDM) are merged in two "C2IEDM Web Service" families realized by the VMASC team within the Battle Management Language (BML) group. Although being developed within the team for the prototype, the services can be used in other systems and projects easily, as they can be adapted and configured to serve alternative needs.

Model-based data engineering: preparing a paradigm shift towards self-organizing information exchange

Current standards for interoperability and composability focus on mandating a common information ... more Current standards for interoperability and composability focus on mandating a common information exchange data model. The Levels of Conceptual Interoperability Model (LCIM) shows that this is not sufficient. A second challenge is that the mapping between system-internal representations to the information exchange data model is left to system developers leading to misinterpretations and ambiguous information exchange. Model-based Data Engineering (MBDE) replaces this with an engineering process. Both ideas together motivate the hypothesis that selforganizing information exchange is possible if the system interfaces and behaviors are captured in machineunderstandable meta-information.

Towards a methodological approach to identify future M&S standard needs

Although Modeling and Simulation is successfully applied for several decades, the community only ... more Although Modeling and Simulation is successfully applied for several decades, the community only established a handful of M&S specific standards. Although the standards were applied enabling worldwide distributed simulation applications, in particular in the training application domain of military simulation systems, the general success of M&S standard efforts and their potential for general applicability has been debated repeatedly during several conferences and workshop. This collection of position statements discusses related questions, such as, “What makes M&S special that we need M&S standards,” “Are M&S standards truly different from Software Engineering Standards,” and “What metrics can be used to measure M&S standard success,” and tries to contribute to establishing a methodological approach to identify future M&S standard needs. These position statements have been contributed in preparation of a panel discussion and edited for the supporting proceedings.

Model-based Data Engineering for Web Services

The application of the Extensible Mark-up Language (XML) and Web services enabled a new level of ... more The application of the Extensible Mark-up Language (XML) and Web services enabled a new level of interoperability for heterogeneous IT systems. However, although XML enables separation of data definition and data content, it doesn’t ensure that data exchanged are interpreted correctly by the receiving system. This motivates data management to support unambiguous definition of data elements for information exchange. Using a common reference model improves this process leading to Model-based Data Engineering (MBDE). The results can be used immediately to configure mediation layers integrating services into an overall service oriented architecture. Ultimately, the objective must be to describe the information exchange requirements, contexts, and constraints of web services in metadata allowing intelligent agents to conduct these engineering steps without human support. This chapter describes the current state of the art of MBDE and how it relates to Service Oriented Architectures (SOA) in general and Web Services in particular.

Mathematical models towards self-organizing formal federation languages based on conceptual models of information exchange capabilities

Conceptual models capture information that is crucial for composability of legacy solutions that ... more Conceptual models capture information that is crucial for composability of legacy solutions that is not formally captured in the derived technical artifacts. It is necessary to make this information available for the selection (or elimination) of available solutions, their orchestration, and their execution. Current standards barely address this class of problems. The approach presented in this paper is the first step towards self-organizing federation languages. The system interfaces are described in form of exchangeable data. The context of information exchange (syntax, semantics, and pragmatics) is captured as metadata. These metadata are used to identify the elements of a formal federation language that links model composability and simulation interoperability based on conceptual model elements. The paper describes the formal process of selection, orchestration, and execution and the underlying mathematics for the information exchange specifications that bridge conceptual and engineering levels of the federation process.

Implied ontological representation within the levels of conceptual interoperability model

Intelligent Decision Technologies, 2008

ABSTRACT The Levels of Conceptual Interoperability Model LCIM has been developed to provide both ... more ABSTRACT The Levels of Conceptual Interoperability Model LCIM has been developed to provide both a metric of the degree of conceptual representation that exists between interoperating systems and also as a guide showing what is necessary to accommodate a targeted degree of conceptual representation between systems. The model was originally developed to support the interoperability of simulation systems, but has been shown to be useful for other domain areas. The model is stratified into seven general levels, and these are introduced and defined. Implied within the model is that the information and processes of one system should be described and that description is then made available to another system. This description of information and processes can take many forms, but is generally an ontological representation. The components of an ontological representation are defined in form and also as elements for the various layers of the LCIM.

Applying the Levels of Conceptual Interoperability Model in Support of Integratability, Interoperability, and Composability for System-of-Systems Engineering

The Levels of Conceptual Interoperability Model (LCIM) was developed to cope with the different l... more The Levels of Conceptual Interoperability Model (LCIM) was developed to cope with the different layers of interoperation of modeling & simulation applications. It introduced technical, syntactic, semantic, pragmatic, dynamic, and conceptual layers of interoperation and showed how they are related to the ideas of integratability, interoperability, and composability. The model was successfully applied in various domains of systems, cybernetics, and informatics.

Using the levels of conceptual interoperability model and model-based data engineering to develop a modular interoperability framework

This paper describes how to use the Levels of Conceptual Interoperability (LCIM) as the theoretic... more This paper describes how to use the Levels of Conceptual Interoperability (LCIM) as the theoretical backbone for developing and implementing an interoperability framework that supports the exchange of XML-based languages used by M&S systems across the web. The principles of Model-based Data Engineering (MBDE) are integrated within the framework to support the interactions between systems across the layers of the LCIM. We present a use case that shows how the framework supports the interoperability of heterogeneous military systems.

Model theoretic implications for agent languages in support of interoperability and composability

This paper evaluates the implications of model theory for agent languages. The tasks of ambassado... more This paper evaluates the implications of model theory for agent languages. The tasks of ambassador agents are to represent simulations and identify potential contributions, select the best solutions in light of the question, compose the selected best solutions to provide the new functionality, and orchestrate their execution. Model-based data engineering can help to identify the information that needs to be exchanged between systems, existential and transformational dependencies can be identified using graph theory, and Petri nets can represent the availability of required information. All structures can be computed and fall under the realm of formal languages. Model theory is a subset of mathematics that focuses on the study of formal languages and their interpretations. Interpreting the terms model, simulation, and data of the modeling and simulation community using model theoretic terms allows the application of model theoretic insights. This allows to formally and unambiguously capture requirements for interoperability and composability.

Establishing a Theoretical Baseline: Using Agent-Based Modeling to Create Knowledge

This chapter focuses on the application of a methodology and method on how to create theory from ... more This chapter focuses on the application of a methodology and method on how to create theory from existing theory using Modeling and Simulation (M&S). Unlike traditional approaches of building theory based on direct observation or modeling observable phenomena, the methodology and method presented focus on creating a model out of derived premises from literature on the phenomenon of interest. This model is later simulated to gain insight into the phenomenon through the study of patterns and analysis of data. The M&S process provides traceability, structure, and precision while checking for preconceived ideas about the phenomenon by comparing them with theories found in the body of knowledge. The development of a theory of understanding is presented as a test case. The paradigm of choice was agent-based modeling (ABM). ABM was found to be the most appropriate for the test case as derived premises can be coded as rules of interaction.

Using a formal approach to simulation interoperability to specify languages for ambassador agents

Ambassador agents represent simulation services that are candidates to contribute to the solution... more Ambassador agents represent simulation services that are candidates to contribute to the solution of a problem. They need to know and express enough about the simulations to negotiate with other ambassador agents if the represented simulation systems can be composed to contribute to the solution. A formal approach to simulation interoperability based on set theory and date modeling theory was developed. The formal model of data in M&S capturing possible representations of real or imagined things in the world including definitions for existential and transformational dependencies is presented. Existential dependencies capture the relationships within a model while transformational dependencies capture the relationships between interactions with a model. These definitions are used to formally specify interoperation, the ability to exchange information, as a necessary condition for interoperability. The elements needed for a language needed for ambassador agents are derived using the formal approach to interoperability. 1 359 978-1-4244-9864-2/10/$26.00 ©2010 IEEE

A Conceptual Modeling Method for Critical Infrastructure Modeling

Conceptual Modeling often is perceived as a way of introducing the process of modeling a system, ... more Conceptual Modeling often is perceived as a way of introducing the process of modeling a system, by concentrating on a reduced appreciation of that system, with a necessary reduction in the number of affecting variables and relations making up the model. As an alternative to this approach, rather than reduce the number of variables and relations, it has been found to be useful to include as many as possible variables and relations (resulting from a functional decomposition of a class of like systems) in a Potential Model (which represents the potential of all specific instances of the class of like systems), and then to move towards a Specific Model by applying contextual and situational values to the appropriate variables and relations that apply to the actual case. In so doing, the necessary reduction in variables and relations in moving from Potential Model to Specific Model allows the conceptual model to lead to further steps in the modeling process, ensuring that all relevance to the class of system is retained. This technique has been applied to a critical infrastructure modeling project, with both the method and results being presented here.

Composable M&S Web Services for Net-Centric Applications

Journal of Diagnostic Medical Sonography, 2006

Service-oriented architectures promise easier integration of functionality in the form of web ser... more Service-oriented architectures promise easier integration of functionality in the form of web services into operational systems than is the case with interface-driven system-oriented approaches. Although the Extensible Markup Language (XML) enables a new level of interoperability among heterogeneous systems, XML alone does not solve all interoperability problems users contend with when integrating services into operational systems. To manage the basic challenges of service interoperation, we developed the Levels of Conceptual Interoperability Model (LCIM) to enable a layered approach and gradual solution improvements. Furthermore, we developed methods of model-based data engineering (MBDE) for semantically consistent service integration as a first step. These methods have been applied in the U.S. in collaboration with industry resulting in proofs of concepts. The results are directly applicable in a net-centric and net-enabled environment.

Conceptual Modeling for Composition of Model-based Complex Systems

355 14 Conceptual Modeling for Composition of Model-Based Complex Systems Andreas Tolk, Saikou Y.... more

A Layered Approach to Composition and Interoperation in Complex Systems

This chapter introduces three engineering methods to support the evaluation of composition and in... more This chapter introduces three engineering methods to support the evaluation of composition and interoperation in complex systems. Data engineering deals with conceptualization of entities and their relations. Process engineering deals with conceptualization of functions and behaviors. Constraint engineering deals with valid solution spaces for data and processes. It is shown that all three aspects must be considered and supported by a solution. The Levels of Conceptual Interoperability Model is used as the basis for the engineering methods. Several current solutions to support complex systems in knowledge-based environments are evaluated and compared.

Model-based alignment and orchestration of heterogeneous homeland security applications enabling composition of system of systems

One of the main challenges for Homeland Security applications is the fact that the different supp... more One of the main challenges for Homeland Security applications is the fact that the different supporting organizations, services, and nations come to the table with existing information technology, supporting established business and organization processes, and using organization-specific data models. This paper shows how to support multiorganization processes with a federation of their heterogeneous IT-solutions based on the alignment and orchestration of applications with regard to the underlying models of those solutions. While processes are orchestrated and aligned top-down, the supporting IT is migrated into a Homeland Security System-of-Systems bottom-up. Web services allow the loose coupling of participating systems and the consistent application of data engineering allows the auto-configuration of data mediation layers. This is made possible by considering first the solutions themselves, and their models (the top-down approach), and only then the application of data engineering to aligning those models (the bottom-up approach).

Web Services based on the C2IEDM - Data Mediation and Data Storage

This paper shows how the ideas of web services and Model-Based Data Management (MBDM) are merged ... more This paper shows how the ideas of web services and Model-Based Data Management (MBDM) are merged in two "C2IEDM Web Service" families realized by the VMASC team within the Battle Management Language (BML) group. Although being developed within the team for the prototype, the services can be used in other systems and projects easily, as they can be adapted and configured to serve alternative needs.

Model-based data engineering: preparing a paradigm shift towards self-organizing information exchange

Current standards for interoperability and composability focus on mandating a common information ... more Current standards for interoperability and composability focus on mandating a common information exchange data model. The Levels of Conceptual Interoperability Model (LCIM) shows that this is not sufficient. A second challenge is that the mapping between system-internal representations to the information exchange data model is left to system developers leading to misinterpretations and ambiguous information exchange. Model-based Data Engineering (MBDE) replaces this with an engineering process. Both ideas together motivate the hypothesis that selforganizing information exchange is possible if the system interfaces and behaviors are captured in machineunderstandable meta-information.

Towards a methodological approach to identify future M&S standard needs

Although Modeling and Simulation is successfully applied for several decades, the community only ... more Although Modeling and Simulation is successfully applied for several decades, the community only established a handful of M&S specific standards. Although the standards were applied enabling worldwide distributed simulation applications, in particular in the training application domain of military simulation systems, the general success of M&S standard efforts and their potential for general applicability has been debated repeatedly during several conferences and workshop. This collection of position statements discusses related questions, such as, “What makes M&S special that we need M&S standards,” “Are M&S standards truly different from Software Engineering Standards,” and “What metrics can be used to measure M&S standard success,” and tries to contribute to establishing a methodological approach to identify future M&S standard needs. These position statements have been contributed in preparation of a panel discussion and edited for the supporting proceedings.

Model-based Data Engineering for Web Services

The application of the Extensible Mark-up Language (XML) and Web services enabled a new level of ... more The application of the Extensible Mark-up Language (XML) and Web services enabled a new level of interoperability for heterogeneous IT systems. However, although XML enables separation of data definition and data content, it doesn’t ensure that data exchanged are interpreted correctly by the receiving system. This motivates data management to support unambiguous definition of data elements for information exchange. Using a common reference model improves this process leading to Model-based Data Engineering (MBDE). The results can be used immediately to configure mediation layers integrating services into an overall service oriented architecture. Ultimately, the objective must be to describe the information exchange requirements, contexts, and constraints of web services in metadata allowing intelligent agents to conduct these engineering steps without human support. This chapter describes the current state of the art of MBDE and how it relates to Service Oriented Architectures (SOA) in general and Web Services in particular.

Mathematical models towards self-organizing formal federation languages based on conceptual models of information exchange capabilities

Conceptual models capture information that is crucial for composability of legacy solutions that ... more Conceptual models capture information that is crucial for composability of legacy solutions that is not formally captured in the derived technical artifacts. It is necessary to make this information available for the selection (or elimination) of available solutions, their orchestration, and their execution. Current standards barely address this class of problems. The approach presented in this paper is the first step towards self-organizing federation languages. The system interfaces are described in form of exchangeable data. The context of information exchange (syntax, semantics, and pragmatics) is captured as metadata. These metadata are used to identify the elements of a formal federation language that links model composability and simulation interoperability based on conceptual model elements. The paper describes the formal process of selection, orchestration, and execution and the underlying mathematics for the information exchange specifications that bridge conceptual and engineering levels of the federation process.

Implied ontological representation within the levels of conceptual interoperability model

Intelligent Decision Technologies, 2008

ABSTRACT The Levels of Conceptual Interoperability Model LCIM has been developed to provide both ... more ABSTRACT The Levels of Conceptual Interoperability Model LCIM has been developed to provide both a metric of the degree of conceptual representation that exists between interoperating systems and also as a guide showing what is necessary to accommodate a targeted degree of conceptual representation between systems. The model was originally developed to support the interoperability of simulation systems, but has been shown to be useful for other domain areas. The model is stratified into seven general levels, and these are introduced and defined. Implied within the model is that the information and processes of one system should be described and that description is then made available to another system. This description of information and processes can take many forms, but is generally an ontological representation. The components of an ontological representation are defined in form and also as elements for the various layers of the LCIM.

Applying the Levels of Conceptual Interoperability Model in Support of Integratability, Interoperability, and Composability for System-of-Systems Engineering

The Levels of Conceptual Interoperability Model (LCIM) was developed to cope with the different l... more The Levels of Conceptual Interoperability Model (LCIM) was developed to cope with the different layers of interoperation of modeling & simulation applications. It introduced technical, syntactic, semantic, pragmatic, dynamic, and conceptual layers of interoperation and showed how they are related to the ideas of integratability, interoperability, and composability. The model was successfully applied in various domains of systems, cybernetics, and informatics.

Using the levels of conceptual interoperability model and model-based data engineering to develop a modular interoperability framework

This paper describes how to use the Levels of Conceptual Interoperability (LCIM) as the theoretic... more This paper describes how to use the Levels of Conceptual Interoperability (LCIM) as the theoretical backbone for developing and implementing an interoperability framework that supports the exchange of XML-based languages used by M&S systems across the web. The principles of Model-based Data Engineering (MBDE) are integrated within the framework to support the interactions between systems across the layers of the LCIM. We present a use case that shows how the framework supports the interoperability of heterogeneous military systems.

Model theoretic implications for agent languages in support of interoperability and composability

This paper evaluates the implications of model theory for agent languages. The tasks of ambassado... more This paper evaluates the implications of model theory for agent languages. The tasks of ambassador agents are to represent simulations and identify potential contributions, select the best solutions in light of the question, compose the selected best solutions to provide the new functionality, and orchestrate their execution. Model-based data engineering can help to identify the information that needs to be exchanged between systems, existential and transformational dependencies can be identified using graph theory, and Petri nets can represent the availability of required information. All structures can be computed and fall under the realm of formal languages. Model theory is a subset of mathematics that focuses on the study of formal languages and their interpretations. Interpreting the terms model, simulation, and data of the modeling and simulation community using model theoretic terms allows the application of model theoretic insights. This allows to formally and unambiguously capture requirements for interoperability and composability.

Establishing a Theoretical Baseline: Using Agent-Based Modeling to Create Knowledge

This chapter focuses on the application of a methodology and method on how to create theory from ... more This chapter focuses on the application of a methodology and method on how to create theory from existing theory using Modeling and Simulation (M&S). Unlike traditional approaches of building theory based on direct observation or modeling observable phenomena, the methodology and method presented focus on creating a model out of derived premises from literature on the phenomenon of interest. This model is later simulated to gain insight into the phenomenon through the study of patterns and analysis of data. The M&S process provides traceability, structure, and precision while checking for preconceived ideas about the phenomenon by comparing them with theories found in the body of knowledge. The development of a theory of understanding is presented as a test case. The paradigm of choice was agent-based modeling (ABM). ABM was found to be the most appropriate for the test case as derived premises can be coded as rules of interaction.

Using a formal approach to simulation interoperability to specify languages for ambassador agents

Ambassador agents represent simulation services that are candidates to contribute to the solution... more Ambassador agents represent simulation services that are candidates to contribute to the solution of a problem. They need to know and express enough about the simulations to negotiate with other ambassador agents if the represented simulation systems can be composed to contribute to the solution. A formal approach to simulation interoperability based on set theory and date modeling theory was developed. The formal model of data in M&S capturing possible representations of real or imagined things in the world including definitions for existential and transformational dependencies is presented. Existential dependencies capture the relationships within a model while transformational dependencies capture the relationships between interactions with a model. These definitions are used to formally specify interoperation, the ability to exchange information, as a necessary condition for interoperability. The elements needed for a language needed for ambassador agents are derived using the formal approach to interoperability. 1 359 978-1-4244-9864-2/10/$26.00 ©2010 IEEE

A Conceptual Modeling Method for Critical Infrastructure Modeling

Conceptual Modeling often is perceived as a way of introducing the process of modeling a system, ... more Conceptual Modeling often is perceived as a way of introducing the process of modeling a system, by concentrating on a reduced appreciation of that system, with a necessary reduction in the number of affecting variables and relations making up the model. As an alternative to this approach, rather than reduce the number of variables and relations, it has been found to be useful to include as many as possible variables and relations (resulting from a functional decomposition of a class of like systems) in a Potential Model (which represents the potential of all specific instances of the class of like systems), and then to move towards a Specific Model by applying contextual and situational values to the appropriate variables and relations that apply to the actual case. In so doing, the necessary reduction in variables and relations in moving from Potential Model to Specific Model allows the conceptual model to lead to further steps in the modeling process, ensuring that all relevance to the class of system is retained. This technique has been applied to a critical infrastructure modeling project, with both the method and results being presented here.

Composable M&S Web Services for Net-Centric Applications

Journal of Diagnostic Medical Sonography, 2006

Service-oriented architectures promise easier integration of functionality in the form of web ser... more Service-oriented architectures promise easier integration of functionality in the form of web services into operational systems than is the case with interface-driven system-oriented approaches. Although the Extensible Markup Language (XML) enables a new level of interoperability among heterogeneous systems, XML alone does not solve all interoperability problems users contend with when integrating services into operational systems. To manage the basic challenges of service interoperation, we developed the Levels of Conceptual Interoperability Model (LCIM) to enable a layered approach and gradual solution improvements. Furthermore, we developed methods of model-based data engineering (MBDE) for semantically consistent service integration as a first step. These methods have been applied in the U.S. in collaboration with industry resulting in proofs of concepts. The results are directly applicable in a net-centric and net-enabled environment.

Conceptual Modeling for Composition of Model-based Complex Systems

355 14 Conceptual Modeling for Composition of Model-Based Complex Systems Andreas Tolk, Saikou Y.... more

A Layered Approach to Composition and Interoperation in Complex Systems

This chapter introduces three engineering methods to support the evaluation of composition and in... more This chapter introduces three engineering methods to support the evaluation of composition and interoperation in complex systems. Data engineering deals with conceptualization of entities and their relations. Process engineering deals with conceptualization of functions and behaviors. Constraint engineering deals with valid solution spaces for data and processes. It is shown that all three aspects must be considered and supported by a solution. The Levels of Conceptual Interoperability Model is used as the basis for the engineering methods. Several current solutions to support complex systems in knowledge-based environments are evaluated and compared.