Intelligent information technology to support changeability in software life cycle processes of cyber-physical systems

Abstract

Actuality. The development of software for cyber-physical systems (CPS) should take into account the specific features of their construction and operation, which supposes to support a changeability of project assets and system solutions at all main stages of their life cycle (LC). Solving these problems is impossible without the usage of intellectual methods and tools, and therefore the topic of this study is the actual scientific and technical task.

Goal. The aim of this work is to develop the intelligent information technology (IIT) that provides end-to-end support for the changeability of project assets in all major phases of the LC CFS, which finally has to improve the quality indicators of critically important development and maintenance processes of such systems.

Research methods. Based on a critical analysis and methodological generalization of some previously obtained scientific and practical results, the structural and functional scheme of IIT has been developed, which integrates some knowledge-oriented model-technological tools, which allows to ensure support for the properties of variability, adaptability, configuration and adjustability of design solutions and software components of the CFS at their LC stages such as domain engineering, architectural design, code construction, and maintenance of their software components.

Results. Using the examples of Smart home systems and mobile augmented reality systems development, some essential features of the CFS’s construction and operation have been studied, and the methodological basis for a knowledge-oriented software development of such systems has been formed. The generalized IIT scheme in IDEF0 notation has been proposed, its main functional blocks have been defined, software experiments have been conducted, and quantitative metrics are calculated, that shows the total increase in the quality indicators of software development and maintenance processes by approx. 22,4%.

Conclusions. The presented studies confirmed the feasibility of using knowledge-oriented models, methods and tools for the development and maintenance of CFS software, and the possibility to design the end-to-end intelligent information technology, which supports the properties of changeability of project assets and system solutions at the main phases of the LC CFS, that, in turn, allows to significantly processes quality improving in creation of such systems.