Multi-Paradigm Modelling for Cyber-Physical Systems: Foundations

Modeling and analysis of Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) is an inherently multi-disciplinary endeavour. Anyone starting in this field will unavoidably face the need for a literature reference that delivers solid foundations. Although, in specific disciplines, many techniques are used already as a matter of standard practice, their fundamentals and application are typically far from practitioners of another area. Overall, practitioners tend to use the technique that they are most familiar with, disregarding others that would be adequate for the problem at hand. The inherent cross-disciplinary nature of CPS requires distinct modelling techniques to be employed, thus prompting for a common background formalism that enables communication between all specialities. However, to this date, no such single super-formalism exists to support the multiple dimensions of the design of a CPS. Indeed, to effectively design a CPS, engineers (in the role of modellers) either need to be versed in multiple formalisms, or a fundamentally new modelling approach has to emerge. Herein, we motivate Multi-Paradigm Modelling of CPS (MPM4CPS), introducing fundamental definitions and terminology regarding CPS modelling and Multi-Paradigm, and finally, laying the ground for the rest of the book.