Modeling of IoT Systems Behavior: A Subject-Oriented Reference Model

Internet of Things (IoT) systems are becoming smaller, more sophisticated and more complex. Creating an abstraction of the behavior of IoT systems brings benefits such as assessing potential design flaws and much more. Subject-oriented Digital Process Twins (DPTs) could serve as such abstractions and enable IoT system designers to model the behavior of IoT systems. However, the target group has specific needs when designing their artifacts. Our goal is therefore to provide an intuitive approach for IoT process modelers. We propose a reference modeling approach based on existing reference architectures and different views on IoT systems. The created subject-oriented reference model uses a distributed system view of IoT systems to match the mental model of IoT process modelers. The evaluation has shown that the model can increase productivity and reduce modeling times. In addition, the reference model shows strengths in providing solutions for complex modeling discussions, such as handling events and managing energy states of sensors.