A Reference Architecture Framework for Orchestration of Participants Systems in IT Ecosystems

Nowadays, IT systems are advancing into our lives in explosive numbers. As new IT systems and devices pervade deeper into all aspects of human routines, our requirements for their system software are diversifying as quickly as the expanding array of functionalities on each system. Such phenomenon has lead up to the proposal of several new paradigms recognizing groups of IT systems as an ecosystem, coining the term IT ecosystem. Each individual system participating in an IT ecosystem has, to a varying degree, autonomy. The ultimate goal of participating systems is to satisfy the global goal of the entire IT ecosystem it is participating in. In order to maintain autonomy and controllability over an IT ecosystem through environmental changes, orchestration strategies must be invented and implemented. In this paper, we propose a reference orchestration architecture framework to support IT ecosystems accomplish the goals of individual participant systems while it simultaneously achieves its system-wide goals. The reference architecture is illustrated in detail using a tangible scenario for collaboration of unmanned vehicles to fight fire.