SMS Community - May 2019

Meeting #29 of the NAFEMS-INCOSE Systems Modeling & Simulation Working Group (SMSWG) was held Tuesday, May 14, 2019 at 11:00 AM EDT for one hour as an online meeting.

Agenda for meeting

Frank Popielas hosted the meeting and introduced the speaker for the main presentation.

Abstract of Presentation

Arcadia is a model-based engineering method dedicated to systems, software and hardware architectural design. It describes the detailed reasoning to understand and capture the customer need, to define and share the architecture among all engineering stakeholders, and to strengthen transitions between engineering levels. The Arcadia method intensively relies on functional analysis, which is a very popular technique among systems engineers. Arcadia enforces an approach structured on different engineering perspectives establishing a clear separation between system context and need modeling (operational need analysis and system need analysis) and solution modeling (logical and physical architectures), in accordance with the [IEEE 1220] standard and covering parts of [ISO/IEC/IEEE 15288].

While the Arcadia method itself is tool-agnostic, it requires a modeling workbench to be implemented efficiently. The Capella MBSE open source tool guides systems engineers in applying the Arcadia method and assists them in managing complexity of systems design with automated simplification mechanisms.

The original audience for the Arcadia/Capella solution is primarily systems engineers with diverse backgrounds and skills, and in particular those without strong software or modeling history. Because the targeted scope of the method is well-delimited, strong choices have been made on the language to shorten the learning curve. The Capella notation is inspired by SysML and the diagrams provided are similar to a certain extent. However, when taking the SysML specification as a reference, the meta-model of Capella is simultaneously simplified, modified, and enriched.

This talk will elaborate on the Thales rationales for investing in both the development of a method and a tool and for open sourcing the solution. The key aspects making Capella an original solution in the landscape of modeling tools will be explained and illustrated. Finally, a status of the Capella ecosystem and perspectives will be given.

Speaker Bio

Dr Stéphane Bonnet, Thales Corporate Engineering, is an MBSE Senior Coach. He is the design authority of Capella, an open source modeling workbench for systems, hardware and software architectural design.

From 2006 to 2015, he has led the development of Capella and has been an active contributor to the Arcadia method. He now dedicates most of his time to training and coaching activities, both within and outside Thales. He helps engineering managers and systems architects implement the MBSE cultural change, with a range of activities spanning from strategic engineering transformation planning to project-dedicated assistance to modeling objectives definition and monitoring.

Frank Popielas concluded the meeting with other topics. These include two NAFEMS workshops in Fall 2019 in which SMSWG is involved. A one-day workshop on “Model-Based Engineering: What Is It & How Will It Impact Engineering Simulation?” will be held Oct. 1 in Columbus, OH. A one-day workshop on “Simulation in the Automotive Industry: Creating the Next Generation Vehicle” will be held Nov. 14 in Troy, MI.

A recording of the meeting will be available on the SMSWG Collaborative Community. (SMSWG community access required. Request community membership using the "Get Involved (SMS Community)" page.