Brief Overview of Modelling Methods, Life-Cycle and Application Domains of Cyber-Physical Systems

Cyber-Physical Systems (CPSs) are systems that connect the physical world with the virtual world of information processing. They consist of various components that work together to create some global behaviour. These components include software systems, communication technologies and sensors, executive mechanisms that interact with the real world, often including embedded technologies. One CPS may include a variety of components from different manufacturers or service providers, often without even knowing that their products and services are integrated with others as a result of CPS. This paper systematises information about CPS modelling methods and domains and presents the CPS modelling cycle – from abstraction to architecture and from concept to realisation.