Affiliations: Department of Systems Engineering and Operations
Research, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA, USA
Note: [] Corresponding author: Andrew P. Sage, Department of Systems
Engineering and Operations Research, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA
22030, USA. E-mail: asage@gmu.edu
Abstract: Interoperability is a major concern for many organizations. For
organizations to work effectively, the information systems supporting an
organization must work together to realize the full potential of built-in
capabilities. Furthermore, organizations are not isolated islands. They need to
work with external entities, therefore the systems of an organization need to
work together with the systems of other organizations. Accomplishing
interoperability among various organizations is a difficult and costly problem,
both in terms of time and money. Achieving interoperability is difficult
because organizational systems are often conceived, specified, architected,
designed, built and managed independently of one another. This is further
complicated by the rapidly changing nature of information technology. Over the last few decades, many approaches have been taken to manage and ideally solve
interoperability problems. Specifications of common standards, technical
guidance, and common development processes and tools are among the most tried
approaches to this end. Though some interoperability improvements have been
made, these attempts have often not resulted in successfully interoperable
systems. Today, interoperability still remains a major concern. This paper addresses the interoperability problem by improving interoperability
assessments of Systems of Systems (SoS) and Families of Systems (FoS). A
precise and easy to use method for assessing a system's interoperability with
other systems at early stages of system development will allow systems
engineers and associated professionals to make informed decisions for better
interoperability.
