Technology Update on the Unified Architecture Framework (UAF)

Architecture frameworks continue to evolve. The Unified Profile for the Department of Defense (DoD) Architecture Framework (DoDAF) and the UK's Ministry of Defence Architecture Framework (MODAF) (UPDM) provides a standard means of representing DoDAF, MODAF, and NATO Architecture Framework (NAF) conformant architectures using the Unified Modeling Language (UML), and Systems Modeling Language (SysML). Since the UPDM V2.0 publication, further information has emerged such as the June 2011 NATO study entitled: “Development of The AMN (Afghanistan Mission Network) Architecture In 2010 – Lessons Learned,” by Torsten Graeber of the NATO C3 Agency. This report identified the following in section 4.1-ARCHITECTURE FRAMEWORKS, sub-section 4.1.2 Observations (Need for a Unified Architecture Framework) and stated that: • differences in DoDAF, MODAF, and NAF make it difficult to match the metamodel one to one. • some of the concepts in the frameworks have the same name but different definitions, i.e. different semantics. • difficult to cross-walk the concepts between the different frameworks leads to miscommunication between architects using different frameworks. Based on the above, the NATO Architecture Capability Team (Architecture CaT) meeting on Sept. 10-11, 2012 committed to move to a single world-wide Architecture Framework. Consequently, a new architecture framework profile supporting a unified framework is needed. It is intended that this framework bring the different architecture frameworks together. The UPDM V3.0 domain metamodel shall be derived from MODEM (the MODAF metamodel) and the DoDAF 2.0 metamodel (DM2), both of which are based upon the International Defence Enterprise Architecture Specification Foundation [IDEAS]. This paper will document the rationale behind the UPDM 3.0 as well as its new name of the Unified Architecture Framework (UAF).