An Initial Exploration of MULTI Level Modeling for Model-Based Systems Engineering

Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) is seen as a way of addressing the complexity of traditional document-centric development in Systems Engineering (SE). MBSE offers easier formalization of knowledge, higher abstraction, and tool support, allowing automated analysis and integration of artifacts across different domains. However, the adoption of MBSE is hindered by the need for manually creating new models in semi-formal languages like SysML, which should cover all domains. Thus, a different modeling principle, like Multi-Level Modeling (MULTI), could ease the creation of different models, as MULTI enables modelers to abstract concepts over more than just one model. In this paper, we explore MULTI as a modeling paradigm for MBSE by applying it to a running example from the Construction Equipment (CE) domain. We analyze and contrast MULTI to the existing modeling implementation. We conclude that the MULTI paradigm opens MBSE to support traceability, re-use, verifiable design documents, and may improve communication with stakeholders. Further, we discuss future applications of MULTI and how it might be transferred to industrial settings.