A generic architecture for a model-management-system (MMS): Facilitating quality assurance and long-term usability along the whole model lifecycle

Abstract

The demand for rapid system and product innovations pushes the need for the availability of a wide spectrum of computational models, simulations and data (M&S). Efficient and credible M&S applications require model modularity, flexibility, scalability, and reusability, large and diverse model development teams, and above all M&S management tools. Such tools should facilitate and automate not only the coordination of those teams but also the easy, reliable and traceable reuse of model components, in particular regarding model repository search functions and developer team guidance, with emphasis on quality assurance and comprehensive lifecycle documentation. After justifying the needs for availability of a collaborative platform combining all team and M&S management tasks as well as for documenting every phase of the lifecycle of a model in a standardized manner, a generic conceptual architecture of a Model Management Architecture (MMS) meeting these requirements is introduced, along with a demonstrator compatible with current institutional quality assurance approaches for modeling and simulation, such as verification, validation and accreditation (VV&A).