Scientific publications

Component Modeling & Analysis (ComMA), as implemented in the open-source CommaSuite tool, is used by Philips, for interface modeling, and lately also for Model-Based Testing. In industrial practice, achieving sufficient transition and scenario coverage with a random test strategy can be time-consuming.

The development of high-tech systems and solutions requires effective collaboration between Systems Engineering (SE) and Software Engineering (SWE) professionals. This cooperation is often difficult, and typical challenges include unexpected system behaviors, repeated work, and project delays. To address these issues, it is important to understand the underlying causes.

Nowadays high-tech companies are struggling to remain competitive given the high pace in which the market complexity increases and customer demands change. With the human Research and Development (R&D) resource pool shrinking, and company-specific knowledge scattered across individuals, there is a strong focus on technological solutions to manage these challenges.

TNO-ESI's socio-technical roadmap identified the need for capabilities that can help researchers and industrial partners recognize, diagnose and address socio-technical complexity in engineering challenges. The roadmap proposed a toolbox consisting of three connected elements: 1) an approach to assess socio-technical complexity, 2) a guide to select suitable methods and interventions, and 3) a monitoring capability to evaluate impact over time.

Energy consumption in the realm of ICT is raising concerns, challenging the prospect of achieving net-zero emissions. ICT solutions are seen as efficient and low-cost, yet their impacts leave notable footprints. The high demand for digital services, such as online shopping, is contributing to the increased energy consumption of digital infrastructure.

Context and Motivation Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS), such as autonomous vehicles, semiconductor equipment, industrial printers, medical devices, and smart infrastructure, increasingly rely on complex software for their operation, control, and communication. Consequently, system quality, reliability, safety, and dependability are ever more determined by software quality.

To meet the goal of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, the Netherlands must scale its electricity grid by a factor of five. Limited building space, a lengthy process to obtain building permits and shortage of skilled labor pose a major constraint. This paper explores how modular building, embedded within a Systems Engineering (SE) and Product Line Engineering (PLE) approach, can help accelerate electricity grid extension, and, ultimately, the energy transition.

The high tech equipment industry in the Netherlands develops cyber physical systems that are increasingly enabled by software. The interplay between Systems Engineering (SE) and Software Engineering (SWE) remains persistently problematic. Organisations report recurring symptoms such as integration issues, emergent behaviour problems, rework, delays, and budget overruns.

This document outlines the TNO-ESI vision and strategic direction for research and development in the area of systems of systems, focused on the high-tech equipment industry. A system-of-systems (SoS) is a large-scale, non-monolithic, distributed, heterogeneous system, built from multiple interacting constituent systems (CS), which are independently operating systems themselves.