Model-driven development of industrial process control applications

This article presents model-driven development and domain-specific modeling applied to the development of industrial process control applications. The approach is based on established practices of the industrial automation and control domain, a compatible UML profile, and an integrated and standards based tool environment for modeling and transformation execution. The methods provide means for developing applications using domain-specific modeling concepts to increase productivity and enhance platform independent solution reuse. The approach has been implemented to support industrial practices and to be able to utilize existing control system platforms. During demonstrations and an assessment event with industry professionals the methods have been successfully applied to the development of small-scale process control applications. In this paper, attention is also paid on discussion of the practical applicability and benefits of the approach for engineering and development of industrial process control applications. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.