Model integration: A SOA approach

Abstract Recent advancements in technology have led to the development of sophisticated software tools that have revitalized growth in different domains. As a consequence, several computationally intensive physical and data-driven models have been developed in the urban energy domain. These models are used by various distinct simulation software to simulate the whole life-cycle of energy flow in cities from supply, distribution, conversion, storage, and consumption. Since some simulation software target a specific energy system, it is necessary to integrate them to predict present and future urban energy needs. However, a key drawback of these simulation tools is that they are not compatible with each other as they use custom or propriety formats. Furthermore, they are designed as desktop applications and cannot be easily integrated with third-party tools (open source or commercial). Hence, they are missing out on potential model functionalities which are required for sustainable urban energy management. In this chapter, we propose a solution based on service-oriented architecture. Our approach relies on open interfaces to offer flexible integration of modeling and computational functionality as loosely coupled distributed services.