Enterprise Architecture and Service Orientation - What is This?

Few abbreviations connected with the future air				partners' processes, information systems, personnel
traffic management systems have given rise to so				and organizational sub-units, aligned with the
many questions and misunderstandings as EA				enterprise's performance goals and strategic
(Enterprise Architecture) and SOA (Service Oriented				directions as defined in the SESAR program.
Architecture). In the United States both concepts are				And SOA then?
part and parcel of air traffic management system				As will be clear by now, EAEA provides a
development since the marching orders were given				business-driven framework that allows the description
by the Federal Government. In Europe, however, it				of the various parts of European ATM and their
was only during the SESAR development phase that				interactions from different points of view (including
EA and SOA were first introduced into the ATM				both operational and technical aspects). EAEA
context and the reception was at first mixed.				provides a meaningful way to partition and manage
To-day there is probably no doubt any more that EA				the complexity of the ATM environment, to reconcile
and SOA are the way to go but the fact remains: to				different partners' business visions across the Single
many in the air traffic management family the exact				European ATM System and to create a bridge
meaning of both remains a puzzle.				between the businesses and IT requirements.
Let's try to set out the pieces and see what picture				SOA is an approach that uses the notion of
emerges.				"services" which can be used to populate the EAEA
EA and SOA of non-aviation fame				framework.
Originally, the concepts of enterprise architecture and				"Service" is a word that can mean different things
service orientation had nothing to do with air traffic				depending upon the context in which it is being used.
management. They were defined and progressively				In general, the context is based upon a consumer
refined to answer the needs of complex information				supplier relationship. Further, a hierarchy of services
technology (IT) systems with a view in particular to				can exist with, for example, a high-level service being
improving the business agility of those systems. EA				made up of a number of lower level sub-categories
and SOA aim to break the stranglehold of information				of services. Therefore, it is very important to ensure
technology on the business aspects of the				that the nature, scope and detailed characteristics
enterprise, enabling business needs to drive IT rather				associated with each service are clear and
then the other way round.				unambiguous each time it is used, including defining
That EA and SOA are usable also in the air traffic				who is supplying what to whom.
management context is a tacit admission that ATM is				Services may be defined from a business perspective
not unique in its requirements and that under the skin				or an IT perspective.
ATM systems, all claims to the contrary, have a lot in				Services from the business perspective
common with other critical systems, like those				A service from the business perspective is really the
controlling the power grids or enabling remotely				consumer's view of the provider's capabilities. The
controlled surgical operations. All those systems need				services must meet defined characteristics to ensure
to crunch prodigious amounts of real time data, must				their efficiency and cost effectiveness. Among
provide common situational awareness and are driven				others, they must be modular and autonomous,
by decisions.				delivered where needed, shareable and reusable and
If EA and SOA can improve those systems, it stands				above all, they must drive the underlying IT support
to reason that they can also help in making air traffic				and not vice versa.
management systems better even if certain				Services can be defined on several levels of the
adaptations of the original ideas may be required.				enterprise but in the air traffic management context,
So what is Enterprise Architecture (EA)?				the operational services are the highest level of
The definition of EA given by the Institute of				service. A service can be associated to one or more
Enterprise Architecture Development (IFEAD) is the				contracts, a service contract being understood as
following:				being an agreement (generally expressed as a
"Enterprise architecture is a complete expression of				Service-Level Agreement) between two or more
the enterprise; a master plan which "acts as a				parties.
collaboration force" between aspects of business				Increasing competition, globalization and technology
planning such as goals, visions, strategies and				advances are driving airlines, airports and other users
governance principles; aspects of business operations				of ATM to change their products, business processes
such as business terms, organization structures,				and prices more frequently than they did in the past.
processes and data; aspects of automation such as				The structure of services offers the flexibility to
information systems and databases; and the enabling				adapt more quickly to fast-changing conditions.
technological infrastructure of the business such as				SESAR has promoted the vision of creating a
computers, operating systems and networks."				performance partnership structure which links the
Fine you will say... how does this help air traffic				Airspace Users, Airport Operators and ANSPs as the
management? Critics often say that the architecture				way in which the future ATM System will be defined,
of the enterprise exists whether or not it is				created, implemented, delivered and managed. The
described. True, but we have seen what happens				notion of the supply and consumption of operational
when lots of ATM enterprises grow without following				services through a set of Service Level Agreements
an overall strategic guidance and then try to work				will be the way in which the partners will be bound
together. That is called European ATM before				together from a business perspective but retaining
SESAR...				the flexibility afforded by service orientation to be
In this view, the definition of EA from the MIT				able to efficiently react to changing circumstances
Center for Information Systems Research is				and demands.
particularly relevant:				While the word "business" and air traffic management
"Enterprise architecture is the organizing logic for				have not often been used together in the past, it
business processes and IT infrastructure reflecting				needs to be recognised that the constantly evolving
the integration and standardization requirements of				business world of the airspace users must be served
the firm's operating model."				by an air traffic management system that is able to
We are getting nearer...				evolve with it and remain safe and cost efficient at
And EA in air traffic management?				the same time. This essential business agility can best
The SESAR program is the European Air Traffic				be achieved by service orientation.
Management modernization program that combines				Services from the IT perspective
technological, economic and regulatory aspects of				From an information technology (IT) perspective, the
ATM and which will use the Single European Sky				use of services defines IT services that correspond
(SES) legislation to synchronize the plans and actions				to real-world business activities or recognizable
of the different partners and federate resources for				business functions and that can be accessed
the development and implementation of the required				according to the service policies that have been
improvements throughout Europe, in both airborne				established for the business services relationships. In
and ground systems.				addition to the IT services that are directly
Although SES does provide the legislative basis for				supporting the business services, technical services
implementing the future ATM system, it is still				can be defined that can be re-used across the
necessary to devise and agree an overall framework				enterprise, providing generic technical functions (data
in which the hitherto fragmented elements of				transformation, logging, identification management,
European ATM can be properly bundled and aligned				etc.). There are many different ways to describe
towards the SESAR strategic goals. These goals				such services depending upon the way in which the
imply in particular a net-centric, service oriented				interactions between the IT systems are needed to
approach to air traffic management.				facilitate and enable the business view.
To achieve the goals, European ATM has to be seen				From the specific air traffic management point of
as a single enterprise in which the constituent parts				view, the highest priority is to define the business
work together in a networked, service based				services as these will drive the services to be
operation, with the business processes driving the				developed in the IT context.
supporting IT infrastructure.				EA and SOA in NextGen?
Once we recognize that air traffic management in				Yes, absolutely. The use of enterprise architecture
Europe needs to be seen as a single enterprise (even				methods and service orientation has been mandated
if it is composed of several constituent entities), the				for all federal projects and so NextGen is being
aims and goals of the Enterprise Architecture				developed on this basis. This is a major advantage
concept suddenly become not only relevant but also				compared to Europe where no doubt a lot of
a highly desirable solution.				discussion will still need to go on before agreement
A European ATM enterprise architecture?				can be reached between all partners on the finer
To instantiate the single enterprise concept, we can				details of enterprise architecture and service
define the European ATM Enterprise Architecture				orientation.
(EAEA), building upon the more generic idea of				Do we understand EA and SOA now?
Enterprise Architecture (EA), however adapted both				I guess this write-up is probably too simplistic for the
in scope and content to the air traffic management				experts and possibly still too abstract for the
environment.				average person involved in air traffic management.
So what is the purpose of an EAEA?				Logical as EA and SOA is they need a shift in thinking
EAEA can guide and focus the strategic decisions, in				and the acceptance of a few things we do not
particular those related to the air traffic management				readily conclude otherwise.
operational concept implementation and supporting				I will try to summarise the most salient points here,
information technology investments. This enables the				may be that will help. If you still have a question,
partners to proactively plan the introduction of				leave a comment and we will come back on the issue
services, avoid duplication of developments, reduce				you raise.
costs and better align IT investments to the business				Summary pointso EA and SOA are not air traffic
processes on all levels.				management construct but they are applicable to
EAEA can also provide the strategic guidance for the				ATM systems also. ATM systems are not unique.o
efforts to define and implement, on both business				While safety is always paramount, air traffic
and IT level, a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA)				management serves a major worldwide business
duly adapted to the requirements of the European				community and hence ATM must have the required
ATM environment.				business agility to be able to adapt to the changing
But what is the ATM enterprise?				business environment.o The ATM "enterprise" needs
A convenient definition of the European ATM				an overall guiding framework to enable coordinated
enterprise could be the "totality of the partners in				and focused development.o Business requirements
the SESAR Performance Partnership". Other				must drive information technology and not the other
definitions are possible, the important message being				way around.o Enterprise Architecture (EA) provides
that every partner who needs to use ATM or has				the required guiding framework; Service Oriented
something to contribute must be seen as an element				Architecture within it provides the structure ensuring
of the single, overall enterprise.				a business (as opposed to IT) driven system.o Both
Using the above definitions, we can conclude that the				SESAR and NextGen will use EA and SOA.
European ATM Enterprise Architecture is the				Note: The use of some text from the SOA TF, of
description of the structure and behavior of the				which I was a member, is gratefully acknowledged.

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Enterprise Architecture and Service Orientation - What is This?

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