Towards an European Open Continuum Reference Stack and Architecture

Blockchain as an emerging computing paradigm has revolutionized the next generation internet. The design and realization of blockchain in multiple industries are very challenging tasks due to the complexity of blockchain. Firstly, it refers to the integrations of multiple technologies within communications, distributed system and security. Secondly, it lacks systematic method and theory to guide developers to design the business solutions. To facilitate the down-to-earth application of blockchain, we propose a BlockChain Open Architecture (BCOA) as a reference architecture which divides the blockchain into nine layers: interactions, scenarios, services, components, infrastructure, integration, data architecture, security and privacy and governance. It allows the designers and developers to use this methodology to speedily design solutions for blockchain applications. Finally we use two cases to demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed architecture.KeywordsBlockchainOpen architectureReference architecture

A novel open CNC architecture based on STEP-NC data model and IEC 61499 function blocks

This paper describes efforts by the IEEE PES Community Solutions Initiative (CSI) to provide reliable electricity to the 1.6 billion low income people who do not have access to electric light. The Community Solutions Initiative is a virtual community of professionals from a wide variety of backgrounds who are providing largely pro-bono efforts to design, develop, deliver and promote sustainable energy solutions for developing communities. The CSI Community Charging Station (CCS) is designed to charge batteries that are transported to and from their customers' home or business sites. The CCS can be based upon some combination of solar, wind, biogas, biodiesel and / or human powered generation. In the short time since CSI was formed in April 2010 several instances of the CCS have been developed. The CSI LightCycle is a 60 watt pedal powered generator. Two and half hours of daily pedaling can provide four hours of reading quality light for 100 homes. Home owners can buy a locally made LED reading lamp for $1 and have their batteries charged for around $1 per month. The goal is to make the choice for electric light so affordable that home owners will not have to think twice about converting from expensive, unsafe and unhealthy cancerous kerosene. The CSI Solar Trailer is a 1.4 kW charging station with six 235 watt PV solar panels and four large 245 Amp Hour local storage batteries. The Solar Trailer has 20 parallel controllers for charging portable 12 volt home batteries. The Solar Trailer is sized to support 40 homes each with 100 watt hours of daily consumption. With IEEE funding, three pilot systems are being built for installation in Haiti. The open source 10' diameter wind turbine built by the CSI IEEE PES and EWB-USA Seattle Team provides 700 watts in 22 mph wind and costs less than $500 excluding the tower. An effort to build low cost bamboo wind turbine towers is underway. The CCS can be used to charge a range of batteries sizes and types. Open source designs are provided so that local businesses / entrepreneurs can assemble simple but highly effective LED based flashlights, desk/task lamps and ambient / room lamps for a few dollars; excluding battery costs. The CSI products are all based on an open Sustainable Energy Reference Architecture (SERA) so that there is compatibility in all interfaces and maximum commonality of components. The CSI family of products conforms to the criteria defined by Paul Polak; they are extremely affordable and highly miniaturized but infinitely scalable. It now appears that it is a reasonable goal to ensure that the entire world can have access to safe, reliable electric light by the year 2020.

The IEC 61499 standard was proposed for distributed architecture design of industrial automation systems to support portability, interoperability, and configurability. Compared with the traditional IEC 61131-3 standard, it provides an open reference architecture with some key features-object-oriented modeling by using function blocks as basic elements and event-driven execution by using data/events as inputs/outputs. In order to make IEC 61499 more applicable in industrial practices, researchers have been focusing on its transformation methods, modeling techniques, and implementation tools over the past years. In this article, three major issues are discussed through analysis of recent research: 1) how existing systems programmed in IEC 61131-3 can be transitioned to IEC 61499-based systems; 2) how IEC 61499 has integrated with enabling technologies for distributed intelligent automation; and 3) how engineering environments for IEC 61499 have been implemented. In detail, the article starts with challenges in the transition to and methods of transformation to IEC 61499-based systems, goes further into design and computing paradigms for IEC 61499 function block modeling, and ends with developments and applications of IEC 61499 engineering environments. Discussions and future research trends are outlined as a conclusion.

This paper presents an industry-unique approach and improved model-based engineering practices for software reliant aircraft systems aligned with the Future Airborne Capability Environment (FACE™) open system technical reference architecture. A lifecycle toolset is described which fuses systems and software modeling and simulation (M&S) capabilities, modular open system architectures (MOSA), and device and sensor integration techniques into a single package to enable rapid design, development, verification, certification, and deployment of interoperable, platform portable, embedded mission-critical safety-critical avionic systems. TES' MBSE lifecycle toolset, AWESUM™, supports system architecture and virtual integration (SAVI) of cyber-physical system (CPS) assets, and evaluation of these platform assets through simulated mission rehearsals in a network-centric collaborative virtual environment. The result is improved systems product. The toolset has been demonstrated to several aviation-focused communities including the American Helicopter Society International (AHS), the Association of Old Crows (AOC), the FACE Consortium, and the US Army's Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center (AMRDEC), with favorable response. TES demonstrated a virtual simulation of realistically modeled and simulated multiple dissimilar aircraft platform systems conducting network centric operations (NCO). With the goal of improving flight-safety and enhancing the situational awareness (SA) of the battle-space, virtual missions were executed showing the inter-operations of cyber-physical system (CPS) assets and capabilities from reusable FACE-aligned applications. The simulated battle-space was composed of device-configured simulated flight models of both manned and unmanned rotorcraft platforms operating within a virtual environment of real-world terrain data. The environment included simulated threats and obstacles used to stimulate platform devices that report detections and produce alerts for own-ship flight mishap avoidance. These detections were then packaged into communications messages (VMF) and shared off-platform via NCO to the common operating picture (COP) to enhance the SA operations of the battle space flight group. After a decade of development and use supporting US Army military common software programs for the PM-AME and AMRDEC, TES is now making its industry-unique approach and model-based airworthy systems/software lifecycle product line available to industry. The MBSE lifecycle toolset product suite, referred to as AWESUM™ for AirWorthy Engineering Systems Unified Modeling, is a comprehensive model-based environment aligned to DO-178C, DO-331, AC 20-148, AR 7062, and FACE™. The AWESUM™ tool suite is currently supporting the US Army's Joint Common Architecture project, a model-based avionics architecture for the Joint Multi-Role family of future vertical lift platforms, and two other FACE-aligned US Army Aviation programs within the military communications and aircraft survivability domains. This is TES-SAVi's first publication and presentation to the IEEE. While we have applied our capabilities to the Military Aviation domain, these capabilities can be effectively applied to Aerospace and other domains.

In this paper we evaluate two M3 smart space information broker implementations -- Smart-M3 and RIBS. M3 is a semantic interoperability architecture for both local and Internet connected smart environments and it utilizes RDF databases in similar fashion as does the Semantic Web. The implementations compared in this paper have similar functionality, but their design philosophies are very different. Smart-M3 is an open source reference architecture for M3 and RIBS is a solution for devices with restricted computational capabilities. Our evaluation is based on both qualitative evaluation and quantitative measurements. A measurement and testing tool for M3 smart environment databases was built during the work. Measurement based analysis shows that the RIBS implementation is 6.7-237 times faster than Smart-M3 over an Ethernet network, but RIBS is usable only in a limited number of use cases. The work also shows that there is a need for new M3 database solutions which are usable for more generic use cases.

As a flourishing field, e-learning at large (including distance learning, Web-based learning, and digital game-based learning) has attracted increasing attention from both industry and academic sectors. To facilitate the development of effective e-learning systems, scalable technologies that support an arbitrary number of users while providing them with a good learning environment are needed. In this introduction, we provide an overview of e-learning system development with respect to a layered reference architecture, including the Internet infrastructure layer, the conceptual/modeling layer, and the application layer. In addition, the three articles included in this special issue cover the issues of managing the learning objects in an open and scalable architecture, incorporation of learners' pedagogical features in Web-based learning environments, and support of digital game-based learning. All these issues, though not exhaustive, are important to ensure successful development of e-learning systems on an Internet platform.

The Government Reference Architecture (GRA) was initiated in response to unique requirements of above 2 GHz Satellite Communications (SATCOM) systems not effectively addressed by the Software Communications Architecture (SCA). Fundamental objectives of the GRA effort were to, 1) develop a modular open systems architecture (MOSA) approach that promotes well-defined module decomposition and use of COTS, 2) define a reference model of the terminal architecture using standard modeling languages and tools, and 3) address system-level architecture aspects of the SATCOM domain not effectively specified by the SCA. A key objective was to maximize the use of available systems design tools and languages thereby decreasing the lead time required to initiate SATCOM projects. This paper presents benefits and drawbacks of COTS system design tools and languages for the SATCOM domain. The paper will also present the results of early prototypes developed to validate specific aspects of the GRA and the development tools output with analysis of specific areas of the validation prototype.

Regarding to the requirement of machine tool state monitoring in the functional diversity of CNC system, the prototype of an open CNC system based on embedded monitoring unit is studied and constructed. According to the analyzing of the development status of machine tool state monitoring, an embedded monitoring unit model, which connects with the CNC system through the field bus and can be reconfigured when the monitoring target changed, is set up with the ARM + DSP master-slave architecture, through which the state of machine tools can be accessed by the CNC system. In view of the development trend of open CNC system, a four-layer open architecture reference model is proposed, which will meet the demand for structure adjustment and function expansion. In addition, the key supporting technologies in the system design are also researched, so as to provide a feasible solution for the maintenance and multifunction integration of CNC equipment.