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Towards Cyber-Physical Systems Engineering Tools Interoperability Standardisation

Periodic Reporting for period 2 - CP-SETIS (Towards Cyber-Physical Systems Engineering Tools Interoperability Standardisation)

Reporting period: 2016-03-01 to 2017-05-31

CPS require multiple engineering competences across various engineering disciplines. The development of such
systems is a huge challenge, also because of the heterogeneity of engineering tools involved in development platforms
across the development lifecycle. In order to overcome this challenge, past and on-going EU research projects
have developed the basis for an International Open Standard for Development Tool Interoperability, the so called
Interoperability Specification (IOS). However, due to lack of coordination, current IOS related activities, especially
with respect to its standardization and possible extensions, are un-coordinated, endangering the huge financial effort
that has been put into the IOS and the chance to establish it as a formal Standard.

The main goal of CP-SETIS is to conceive and set up a sustainable organizational structure as a platform joining all
stakeholders, to coordinate all IOS related activities, especially the formal standardization and further extensions of the
IOS. This organizational structure will be implemented within existing, sustainable European organizations, like the
ARTEMIS-IA Working Groups or similar, that are open to all stakeholders.CP-SETIS will ensure the support of all stakeholders
for this structure, its operational rules, its implementation within existing structures and, most important, their commitment to
coordinate all IOS related activities within this structure.In this way, CP-SETIS will secure the huge effort – both in
terms of manpower as well as in terms of financial support – that has been put into the IOS, furthering and enabling
the setup of the IOS as a formal standard, and enabling the enormous innovation potential of the IOS both, for
innovations in interoperable tools with new functionalities needed for future generations of Cyber-Physical Systems,
and for innovations in future CPS themselves.CP-SETIS will also use lessons learned during this process to update
Standardization Research Agendas.
The main achievements of CP-SETIS are
- deriving a concept for and implementing the ICF (IOS Cooperation Forum) in a sustainable way
- Updating the ARTEMIS Strategic Agenda on Standardization with (a) lessons learned about the handling of standards with complex structure like the IOS, generalizing this to the concept of Multi-Standards and how to handle – read: standardize – them and (b) newly emerging standards in the general area of Cyber-Physical Systems.

CP-SETIS has succeeded in the definition of a sustainable structure and its activities that – once implemented – will
- be the focus point for alignment of all IOS related forces in Europe
- will support the formation of a common IOS Standardization Strategy of all IOS stakeholder
- will support formal standardization of (parts of) the IOS
- will support extensions of the IOS
- will be implemented with an existing, sustainable structure/organization, thus providing continuous support for these activities.
This structure is called ICF (IOS Coordination Forum); it will be hosted by the ARTEMIS Industry Association.

CP-SETIS published the revised Strategic Standardisation Agenda.
The IOS Coordination Forum ICF will

(a) collect and make available the current baseline of the Interoperability Specification IOS, together with information about the concrete specifications,
maturity level, status of formal standardization, current versions, etc., and update this information according to results from projects, standardization activities, etc.

(b) facilitate and give organizational support for stakeholders to coordinate their activities to extend and further develop the IOS – for example by incubating new R&D projects,

(c) facilitate and give organizational support for stakeholders to synchronize their activities for formal standardization of parts of the IOS, and

(d) support the building of an IOS community by collecting and proving all information related to IOS (from technical specifications and contacts to experts to workshop and event notifications) and organizing workshops, coordination meetings, etc.


ICF will not only be an ideal means for coordinating IOS related activities amongst the large and diverse group of stakeholders, but will also allow these stakeholders to

- find allies and cooperation partners, e.g. to extend and shape those parts of the IOS that are relevant to this particular group of stakeholders, including pushing of formal standardization

- find experts for IOS related matters

- be able to guarantee sustainability and accessibility for their IOS related project results

- use ICF as an independent, neutral forum, to meet other stakeholders at eye level

- easily exchange and gather IOS related information, e.g. the current baseline, new extensions under development, standardization activities, etc.

while at all times being able to focus on those parts of the IOS, that are actually of interest to them.

Thus, ICF and its activities will greatly contribute to extensions, standardization and uptake of IOS, which in turn will overcome the integration challenge in the development of Cyber-Physical Systems, thus greatly increasing (cost-)efficiency and competitiveness of European industry.
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