Digital System Models: An investigation of the non-technical challenges and research needs

Models are increasingly used to drive major acquisition and design decisions, yet the diverse set of model developers, analysts, and decision makers are faced with many challenges in transitioning to a model-centric paradigm. As part of a larger research program on interactive model-centric systems engineering, this paper focuses on the Digital System Model in context of the larger topic of the digital framework including Digital Thread and Digital Twin. With a goal of contributing to the continued understanding of problems and concerns, this paper presents findings from the investigation of the non-technical aspects, specifically intellectual property and knowledge assessment concerns. Accordingly, the respective research needs are identified and discussed.