Architecture Framework

This paper presents a conceptual framework for understanding architectural works. This framework provides an understanding of an architectural building through qualitatively discerning the complexity of issues involved in its design and enabling their systematic integration into a theoretical construct. The premise behind this framework is that in design a better understanding of ‘what’ to design leads to a more informed base to ‘how’ to design, consequently resulting in a more structured and innovative architectural design. Using a grounded theory method, the paper postulates an ontological framework that recasts the Vitruvian triad of utilitas, venustas, and firmitas into spatial form, intellectual form, and structural form respectively, and more importantly expands the triad to include context, and architectural thinking manifested as formative concept, as an integral component in any architectural work, thus closing a gap that existed in many frameworks dealing with architecture. The paper concluded that this framework offers a level of robust understanding of architecture that can become a foundation for a more effective and rational architectural design practice. This foundation can be used as a base in structuring the generation of architectural form as well as the description and analysis of existing works of architecture. Its value exceeds theory framing and extends towards architectural pedagogy as a theoretical framework in teaching design studio.

Remote-controlled or autonomous multi-rotor air vehicles, or drones, have become common and commercially available even to individual consumers, mostly for imaging purposes. Drones appeal to mission architects looking to extend the toolbox provided to operators performing challenging missions such as public safety operations. However, careful analysis of the operational context and concept of operations must take place before major acquisitions. The purpose of this paper is to propose a model-based operational architecture definition framework, which is based on the Department of Defense Architecture Framework (DoDAF) ontology and uses Object Process Methodology (OPM) as its underlying modeling language. Through careful mapping of DoDAF Operational Viewpoint (OV) ontology to OPM ontology, we were able to show that the entire OV ontology can be covered by a small set of objects, processes , relations among them, and constructs comprising them. We then show how to instantiate the ontology to create a model of an actual architecture of interest (AoI) while maintaining strong typing of the model elements to ensure validity, integrity, consistency, and continuous compliance with the OV. We demonstrate our approach on the case of using drones in public safety enterprises for the purpose of crowd management in massively attended events and locations. The proposed framework allows for capturing ConOps and OpsCon in a lightweight, yet robust and consistent manner, and improve communication and concept validation between operational stakeholders and enterprise architects.

Model-Based/Driven Development (MDD) constitutes an approach to software design and development that potentially contributes to: concepts closer to domain and reduction of semantic gaps, automation and less sensitivity to technological changes, and the capture of expert knowledge and reuse. The widespread adoption of pervasive technologies as basis for new systems and applications lead to the need of effectively design pervasive information systems that properly fulfil the goals they were designed for. This paper presents a profiling and framing structure approach for the development of Pervasive Information Systems (PIS). This profiling and framing structure allows the organization of the functionality that can be assigned to computational devices in a system and of the corresponding development structures and models, being. The proposed approach enables a structural approach to PIS development. The paper also presents two case studies that allowed demonstrating the applicability o...

Spatiotemporal data mining is an emerging area of research. Applications for mining different kinds of spatiotemporal patterns and trends are being developed by researchers in various domains. However, there is a need for underlying architecture framework for these applications to provide reusability of analysis and design. This research paper addresses such a requirement by adopting conceptual model of architecture framework described in ISO/IEC 42010:201X standard for Systems and Software Engineering-Architecture Description. This research identifies stakeholders and their concerns, describes context, integration, information, functional, concurrency and technology viewpoints as architectural viewpoints which provide reusability of analysis and design for spatiotemporal data mining applications. The correspondence rules which describe correspondence among the viewpoints are also described.

part of a doctoral dissertation research project in information security management. One of the aims of the project is to develop an architectural framework and a process model, with supporting methodology that could enable integration of information security management with enterprise life cycle processes. Over the years, the focus of information security evolved from physical security of computer centers to securing information technology systems and networks, to securing business information systems. With the Internet, computers can communicate and share information with other computers outside organization’s networks. This meant that the existing security model was inadequate to meet the threats and challenges inherent in this new tech-nology infrastructure. A new approach to information security management is needed to meet these security challenges. A meta model for the information security management viewpoint, developed in this research, includes various meta primitives, nam...