Context-Sensitive Multilevel Instantiation for Space System Development

Abstract

In model-based systems engineering, engineers from different domains collaborate on central system models. They develop abstract ideas to concrete implementations. To organize information exchange and to prevent misconceptions and conflicts, strict rules for model manipulations are required. Multilevel modeling is a technique that can map systems development from abstract to concrete. It enables to iteratively use existing model elements to describe new ones, which are added to more concrete model levels. Editing constraints for such system models require foreseeing the following model levels. However, in systems engineering models have to be adjustable to changing requirements and projects of different complexities. As a result, depending on the application context, system models contain different abstraction levels. This thesis presents context-sensitive multilevel modeling, which introduces a separate context model. This context can be utilized to specify context-based constraints. With, e.g., a process model as context, it is possible to specify that elements are only editable in a specific process phase. Changing requirements can be handled by updating the context model. Furthermore, context-based constraints are understandable for non-experts in modeling. This thesis shows feasibility of context-sensitive multilevel modeling by applying it to systems engineering projects of the space domain. Besides editing constraints, these projects demand domain-specific editors and artifact Generation.