ISO/TR 14813-2:2000, Transport information and control systems -- Reference model architecture(s) for the TICS sector -- Part 2: Core TICS reference architecture

The architecture of an information and control system merges hardware and software considerations into a coordinated and integrated system view. The system architecture is a high level abstraction, or model, of the system. A system architecture should embrace both today's applications and the applications that are expected in the future. Architecture begins with the definition of the conceptual services (e.g. Part 1 - TICS fundamental services). There are several identifiable stages of system architecture development:1. Reference architecture2. Logical architecture3. Physical architecture A reference architecture is the first of all architectures. It is a concise generic framework which guides the development of more concrete system architectures. It is large enough that distinct concepts are not merged out of necessity and small enough that it does not become unwieldy.A most significant example of a reference architecture in information systems is the Reference Model of Open Systems Interconnection (often called the seven layer model) developed by ISO in the 1970's. This model has underpinned the development of all modern computer networks, allowing services such as global networking, of which the prime example is the Internet, to become a reality.A reference architecture is generic and non-prescriptive and captures the concepts of the system. A logical architecture elaborates the conceptual behaviour, and in so doing it provides more detail about the modularity. A physical architecture is reached when the actual distribution of the system modules is defined, thus leading to important implications for communications.There is no firm demarcation between a reference architecture and a logical architecture. Thus the essence of behaviour and modularity is present in a reference architecture. The TICS Reference Architecture developed by WG1 shows important inter-relationships that arise in the provision of the services of the sector. However the TICS Reference Architecture is more abstract than, for example, the logical architecture of the US National Architecture.It is envisioned that the TICS Reference Architecture will be used by the TC204 Working Groups to develop their own logical and physical architectures in a cohesive manner.Some TICS Fundamental Services are already well developed by the industry, while others are less mature. Therefore the TICS Reference Architecture does not have a uniform granularity across all services. This characteristic is a direct result of the fore mentioned requirement that architecture embrace the applications that are intended in the future. This suggests one of the ways in which the architecture will undergo change in the future.Architectures may present only static characteristics or both static and dynamic characteristics. Dynamic characteristics may be seen as belonging solely to the design/implementation stages of system development. However by including dynamic characteristics at the reference architecture stage one gains important insights into the static architecture. Thus two orthogonal views of architecture are presented:1. static relationship view (class diagram)2. dynamic interactive view (sequence diagram) This part of ISO/TR 14813 develops a core reference architecture. The static scope is determined by deriving the system boundary and the use cases from an analysis of the TICS fundamental services (part 1 of ISO/TR 14813).The Core Reference Architecture is a reference for the development of national architectures.Part 3 of ISO/TR14813 elaborates the core reference architecture by refinement of two orthogonal views. The elaboration calls upon domain expertise that would be provided by other TC204 Working Groups in the development of ISO standards or by national groups developing national architectures and standards.The core reference architecture is described in clauses 5 to 8. Clause 5 introduces the architecture at a highly abstract level. Clause 6 defines all the actors. Claus Read more