Arch: Architecture Brainstorming

[mmccool]

Topics that we could potentially cover in the next round of Architecture:

• Digital twins

  • Definition:
    • Should search/align with other standards, but what exists in Architecture 1.1:
      • A digital twin is type of Virtual Thing that resides on a cloud or edge node. Digital Twins may be used to represent and provide a network interface for real-world devices which may not be continuously online (see also Shadows), may be able to run simulations of new applications and services before they get deployed to the real devices, may be able to maintain a history of past state or behaviour, and may be able to predict future state or behaviour. Digital Twins typically have more functionality than simple Shadows.
  • Behavior description/simulation
    - Formal simulation models
    - Annotation of physical behavior, e.g. safety, sensory mode
  • Historical databases, time series
  • Shadows
  • Unnecessary Limitations in above defn (strikeouts above):
    • may not be in an edge or cloud node, e.g. could run on a sufficiently powerful endpoint Thing
    • "before they get deployed" implies that they might not be used after deployment, but they can be

• Smart Cars (Target Use Case)

  • Specific requirements
  • Dynamic location
  • Safety
  • Intermittent connectivity
  • Regulation
  • Mapping
  • V2V communication

• Consumer Description vs. describing the contract between things and consumers in the TD

• Time synchronization

• Industrial applications

• Microservices - state-model based controller

• callback API description

• stateful things

Should align defns of digital twin with what is used in other standards: DCA, CASME, ... (Seb/Lagally to investigate); also useful to ask members who are working in the area, e.g. Microsoft, Schaeffler

Other comments/possible topics:

• Link types need clearer semantics; more generic graph structure would be useful, similar to DTDL; related to Digital Twins
• Digital twins connections to existing standards, e.g. 3D models, 2D maps, behavior description (e.g. state machines, W3C has prior work on that),
  • Internal links can however be used for additional structure, e.g. part architecture, TM/TD relations
  • Links for other things, e.g. documentation
  • See also breakout sessions at TPAC on Digital Twins; CG/breakouts to discuss? Smart Cities, collaborative discussion
• Edge Computing - whole other category of topics; compute services, microservices, databases, AI, etc.
• How can web of things be used in combination with other technologies - e.g. as part of another ecosystem, e.g. OPC UA based systems, BIM, GIS systems, etc. - where TDs are a component, not central
• Better modelling, e.g. TM
• User interface description and modelling - consider relationship to HTML; sensory modality annotation; MMI; existing standards

[mmccool]

Assume this is meant to generate new work items, which now will go into the details doc, so labelled appropriately.