Intercontinental Networks, LLC

“Linking Technology, Business and Intellect”

C4ISR Architecture Framework Mapping to the Zackman

Enterprise Architecture

Ayman Nassar
President & Principal Consultant

December 2005

Intercontinental Networks, LLC

6020 Countless Stars Run
Clarksville, MD 21029 USA
Tel: 443.538.4121
info@intercontinentalnetworks.com
www.intercontinentalnetworks.com

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Application of the C4ISR CAF - Zachman Framework Mapping to a Biological,

Radiological and Nuclear Defense (BRND) System for Contamination Monitoring

Tabular Graphic Exhibit

In this paper we create a tabular graphic exhibit using a reduced Zackman Framework (www.zifa.com) and apply it to the
case of a BRND system. There is no one-to-one mapping between the C4ISR Architecture Framework (CAF) products
and the Zachman elements. However by understanding the constraints and rules of the Zachman model we can come up
with approximate mappings.

The reduced Zachman framework presented in Table 1 has 9 cells (these cells are identified by a grid naming convention
for brevity purposes) - A1 through C3 – as illustrated in Table 1.

A brief overview of each of the cells in the reduced framework matrix is provided, it is then followed by an illustration of the
possible CAF products mapping to each of the 9 cells, and finally the most appropriate CAF product along with a brief
rationale for the CAF product selected.

Cell A1 models the usability constraints of the functional arguments of the BRND system, such as the ability to bill the user
per unit of usage. This translates to the business activities and operational capabilities and limitations of the BRND, which
from an enterprise perspective will include workflow or process flow diagrams, activities and the functions of these
activities including input and output to these activities. Given the assumption of the problem where the service is a
commercial, the output will be from the perspective of the end user which could be a municipal authority or city
government.

Cell B1 models the business interfaces and communications between the activities and functions modeled in cell A1. It
also models the operations information exchange between the various functional components modeled in A1.

Cell C1 models the human interface and the roles of the various human resources involved in the operation and usage of
the BRND system, such as the detection team and the staff at the fusion center.

Cell A2 models the design constraints for realizing the BRND functions from the designer’s perspective, which includes
translating operational and business needs to system functions and logical representations.

Cell B2 models the communications between the various system components and the logical interface representations,
including information exchanged, attributes of the information and source and destination information.

Cell C2 models the human interface and the various human resources from the designer’s point of view which translates
into activity modeling and activity dependency on human responses or interaction, as well as relationships among various
human resources involved in the BRND system usage. Examples would include the modeling of the communication
modes, system level communication requirements, logical representations of information transmitted between the
detection team and the fusion center staff and the human-machine interface to receive and send these logical
representations.

Cell A3 models the implementation constraints to realize the functions offered by the BRND system from the builder’s
perspective. Examples would be hardware and software limitations of the various system interfaces in the BRND system,
or processing limitations at the fusion center or other detailed technological constraints.

Cell B3 models the details of the communications between the various components and the logical communication
interface representations. Examples are the details of the interfaces handling the exchange of information defined by the
designer in cell B2.
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Cell C3 models the human interface and the various human resources from the builder’s point of view which translates into
modeling of human interface specifics. Examples are the details of the fusion center geo-situational display, or the
detection team geo-situational awareness display used in the field, which could have different capabilities and hence
human interfaces.

Table 1 Possible CAF products mapped to the reduced Zachman Framework

A B C
Function Network People
Enterprise Operational Grpah Concept Operational Node Command Relationships
1 Model (OV-1) Connectivity Description Chart (OV-4)
(Owner view) Activity Model (OV-5) (OV-2)

System Model System Functionality Systems Communications Activity Model (OV-5)

2 (Designer view) Description (SV-4) Description (SV-2)

Technology Operational Activity to System System Information Activity Model (OV-5) or

3 Model Function Traceability Matrix Exchange Matrix (SV-6) (OV-6c) or detailed (SV-1)
(Builder View) (SV-5)

Table 2 summarizes some of the possible CAF views than could be mapped to the various cells of our reduced Zachman
matrix. In this table I illustrate why I chose the particular CAF view presented in Table 1. The priority column shows the
relative appropriateness of the CAF view to be mapped to the cell in Table 1 where 1 is most appropriate and 3 least
appropriate.

Table 2 Rationale for selecting the CAF views in each of the 9 cells of Table 1.
Table CAF Product mapped Rationale Priority
1 Cell to Cell in Table 1
A1 Activity Model (OV-5) Provides information on the activities and their relationships, I/O, 2
constraints and mechanisms to perform the business or user tasks. This
can be a good view of the end user’s view of the activities that should
occur to implement the needed capabilities and functions.
Operational Rules Contains information regarding responses and behavior/functionality of 3
Model (OV-6a) the BRND to certain events occurring during the usage of the BRND
Operational State system.
Transition Model (OV-
6b)
Operational Graph Contains information about operational nodes, high level functionality, 1
Concept (OV-1) information flow, configuration, connectivity and missions – in our
commercial case - this could be high level description of modes of
usage, scope of usage, service packages and features of each service
package. This is an excellent representation from the end user’s
perspective of the functional aspects and needs of the BRND system
since it does not have too much detail about the activities to be
performed such as OV-5 which makes it more suitable from a
user’s/owner’s perspective.
B1 Operational Node OV-2 is more suitable to represent the communication capabilities 3
Connectivity between the various nodes from a user’s perspective. It is more high-
Description (OV-2) level that OV-3 and it focuses on identifying the operational nodes that

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Table CAF Product mapped Rationale Priority

1 Cell to Cell in Table 1
have connectivity needs, the activities at these nodes, connectivity
modes and information flow between the nodes.
Operational Activity to SV-5 provides a good understanding of the technology model used as it 1
System Function traces the activities of the system to functions providing an appropriate
Traceability Matrix architectural view of the system
(SV-5)
Operational OV-3 is more detailed than an OV-2 and could be more suited also for a 2
Information Exchange designer’s view although more detail will be of interest to a designer. OV-
Matrix (OV-3) 3 focuses on details of the media, quality, quantity of the information
exchange and other details from an operational perspective. In my
opinion both OV-2 and OV-3 are good representations for this cell, as the
end user can have the opportunity to give operational needs such as the
frequency of sending information, size of files, response times, etc..
Since the problem calls for only 1 CAF view per cell, OV-2 is chosen.
C1 Overview & Summary AV-1 contains high level information about the BRND system; it would 2
Information (AV-1) typically be a more appropriate representation of the planner’s view of
the system. However it does contain summary information about people
relations so it could be a potential view to use
Command OV-4 is the best CAF view to be mapped to cell C1. It provides an 1
Relationships Chart overview of all the various entities in the BRND system and the control,
(OV-4) command and reporting channels. In many cases the user will be
defining these reporting channels so it serves a good view from the
user’s perspective. It will have more information that AV-1 and could still
represent the user’s view. OV-4 focuses on the command, control and
coordination relationships among organizations. In our case the detection
team and the fusion center staff.
A2 System Functionality SV-4 best describes the functions performed by the various systems in 1
Description (SV-4) the BRND solution as well as the information flow among BRND
functions.
Operational Activity to SV-5 allows traceability between the system functions and the 2
System Function operational capabilities or activities and vice versa; while useful it can not
Traceability Matrix be used alone to represent BRND functionality from a designer’s
(SV-5) perspective.

B2 System SV-2 provides description of the various nodes and their related 1
Communications communication laydowns. This can offer a reasonable model for the
Description (SV-2) designer’s view of the network.

System Information SV-6 contains more detailed information than SV-2. This is due to the 2
Exchange Matrix (SV- fact that it contains SV-2 information and details about information
6) exchange among the various system elements, applications and
hardware. We will map SV-6 to the builder’s perspective.
System Interface SV-1 links together the operational and systems architecture views by 3
Description (SV-1) identifying the interfaces to the nodes and the needlines. It is not detailed
enough from a designer’s view as it doesn’t have enough design
constraint information as SV-2
C2 System Interface Although SV-1 focuses on the interfaces between the identified systems, 3
Description (SV-1) it can contain useful information or can be realized in a representation
that also shows the various groups involved, but the main focus is
interfacing between the system components.
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Table CAF Product mapped Rationale Priority

1 Cell to Cell in Table 1
Activity Model (OV-5) OV-5 can be mapped since it contains information about activities and 1
entities responsible for these activities among the other details about
activities and can illustrate the various activities each group is
responsible for.
Command It provides an overview of all the various entities in the BRND system and 2
Relationships Chart the control, command and reporting channels, might not be detailed
(OV-4) enough from the designer’s perspective
A3 Technical Architecture The builder’s perspective contains information about implementation 1
Profile (TV-1) constraints and the state of the art in methods and views in the physical
view of the end product. TV-1 governs BRND implementation as well as
operation. It is probably best suited from a functionality stand point as
well as the builder’s view as a CAF product to be used.
System Interface SV-1 also contains details about the implementation but at a high level 2
Description (SV-1) and not to a level of detail as TV-1 which will contain references to
protocols and industry standards used which is of more interest to a
builder.
B3 System Information SV-6 allows for both inter and intra-nodal details which will be of much 1
Exchange Matrix (SV- more interest from the builder’s perspective than an OV-2.
6)

C3 Activity Model (OV-5) OV-5 is the most appropriate CAF view which contains information to be 1
used by the builder to decide the detailed roles of the detection team and
the fusion center staff during the operation and the specific actions they
will be performing, such as pressing certain buttons, or completing
certain forms. In cell C2 the designer might only specify that the user fill a
form, however the builder will define the form in more detail and will
define how the user fill it out and which tools and resources are used to
fill it out.

CAF Views for the selected CAF products representing the 9 cells in the reduced Zachman
Framework

This section illustrates various graphical representations for some of the above CAF views.

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Owner Perspective with Respect to Function (OV-1)

Although problem set 5.2 does not illustrate a fixed telecommunication network, in reality it is a major component of the
system just as the high-speed wireless mobile network

Satellite

Unmanned
Airborne Platform

Area of Interest

Earth Station

Fixed Telecom Network

Detection Team
Fusion Center Wireless Mobile Network

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Owner Perspective with Respect to Network (OV-2)

Activities
Detects & Measures Biological & Radiological Receives data from UAP
agents Info Exchange – IE01 Sends data to earth station
Detects & Measures X-rays & Gamma-rays UAP Control info & Sends atmosphere images to ground station
Transmits 1 data message/min commands
Info Exchange – IE02
Unmanned Bio., Radiologic., X & Gamma levels &
Airborne measurement values
GPS Satellite
Platform Weather data (humidity, temp, wind,
(UAP) pressure, etc..)
Location information
Info Exchange – IE02 Measurement times information
Bio., Radiologic., X & Gamma levels & measurement values
Weather data (humidity, temp, wind, pressure, etc..)
Location information IE01:
IE06: Measurement times information UAP Control info &
Field Information Activities: commands Earth
Status reports Receives sensor data from UAP Station
Receives weather data from UAP & Satellite
Combines sensor and weather data Activities:
Detection Synthesizes information Signal Reception
Team Displays results on a map Signal Processing
Provides spatial resolution Control & Manage
Sends geo-situational info to detection team Satellite
Activities:
Controls UAP (location, configuration, maint..)
Data analysis
Data analysis
Reporting
Fixed
Assist the population Wireless
Fusion Telecom
Telecom
Center Network
Network

Activities:
Data transmission
Activities:
Data security
Data transmission
Data security IE02:
Mobility Bio., Radiologic., X & Gamma levels & measurement
values
IE05: Weather data (humidity, temp, wind, pressure, etc..)
Processed data UAP Location information
Geo-situational awareness data Measurement times information

Owner Perspective with Respect to People (OV-4)

Since we are assuming a commercial offering. We assume that both the fusion center and detection teams report to a
higher authority, such as upper management. Upper management is responsible for the sales, marketing and business
development negotiations. Upper management also works with the client management which could be a city mayor, DOD
component or local police to coordinate the detection and recovery process. The client management can assist with road
closures, security and other logistical needs, and also provide guidance (from policy perspective) on how to proceed with
the tasks.

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Upper Client
Management Management

Coordination
Fusion Detection Reporting
Center Team Team Reporting & Control

Designer Perspective with Respect to Function (SV-4)

The main functions represented in this cell are the following,

Control (Fusion center, earth station) - not explicitly mentioned in the problem set, but understood from cell A1.
Measure (UAP)
Collect Data (UAP)
Transmit Data (Fixed telecom network, wireless network, satellite and earth station)
Process Data (Fusion center

Control

Mgmt & control data Mgmt & control data

Real-time
Consolidated
processed data
Collect Measurements Transmit
Measure (geo-situational)
Data Data data
Measurements
Process Data
Measurements

Consolidated
Measurements
Reports
Status Information
Real-time processed data
(geo-situational) data
Reports
Status Information

Response

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Designer Perspective with Respect to Network (SV-2)

Internodal Perspective
Unmanned
Airborne
GPS Satellite
Platform
(UAP)
Earth
Station

Switching Elements,
Routers,
communication links
Detection
Team

Fusion
Center

Fusion
Center Intranodal Perspective for the Fusion Center
Processor Storage
Server Server

LAN

Graphical
Terminals

Designer Perspective with Respect to People (OV-5)

I only showed a partial OV-5 for the whole BRND system which highlights the people activities. In cell C2 we have not
interest in other activities performed by non-people resources. In this view we did not show the input from the upper
management to the fusion center team as it will probably be related to items not directly affecting the BRND system’s
mission such as budgetary approvals for purchasing items or staffing personnel, not related to the data processing activity.

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Types and duration of Biological & Radiological,

X –rays and Gamma-rays contamination,
Weather charts and simulation for
Situation
precipitation, wind, humidity, temp, pressure,
guidance from
Physical landmarks and street addresses
detection team
Weather bulletins
Data Analysis
Geo-situational awareness data
Process Data
Guidance & Directions
from Higher Authorities

Reporting
Response
Fusion Center Assist the population
Team

Detection Team

Builder Perspective with Respect to Function (TV-1)

I have made some assumptions that might not be explicitly outlined in problem set 5.2, for example I assumed that data
transmission over the fixed and wireless networks has to be encrypted and authenticated using IPSec, and other
assumptions are made for the 5 BRND system functions

Function Standard (Examples / Assumptions)

Control IETF RFC Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP)

Measure NOAA Standard for Air Sampling (Lagrangian sampling scheme)
Transmit Data IETF RFC 3884, Use of IPSec Transport Mode for Dynamic Routing
ASCII, American Standard Code for Information Interchange
Process Data FIPS Pub 151-1 (POSIX.1)
Intel compatible Processor
32-bit PCI bus
Response Infection Control Procedure and Practice, First Aid Council of New Jersey
Oxygen Equipment Usage and Storage Standard, American First Aid
US Army Decontamination Standards
DOE Decontamination Standard for Chemical Agents

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Builder Perspective with Respect to Network (SV-6)

System Inputs System Outputs

or Function
System s
Element Source Content Media Forma Security Freq Dest- Content Medi Forma Security Freq
System t . ination a t
Fusion Earth Measure Text ASCII Encrypte 60 Process Detectio Geo- Text ASCII Encrypt 60
Center Station ments d secs Data n Team situation ed sec
al data
UAP. Site of Samples Analog ------ ------- Real Measure Fusion Location Text ASCII Encrypt 60
Interest - Center and ed sec
time measure
ment
Detectio Geo- Text ASCII Encrypte 60 Reportin Fusion Geo- Text ASCII Encrypt 60
n Team situation d sec g/ Center situation ed sec
al data Recover al data

Builder Perspective with Respect to People (OV-5)

I have made several assumptions to illustrate the usage of a partial OV-5 for the representation of cell A3. These
assumptions are: (a) the presence of certain modules in the (b) fusion application which process data received by the UAP
and the detection team, and that the application of communication is (c) email.

Process Data Response

(Fusion Center Team) A1 (Detection Team) A2

Load situational guidance Press receive message

sent by detection team into button to accept email from
fusion application A1.1 fusion center team A2.1

Load raw data collected from

Read email and follow
UAP into threat analysis
instructions A2.2
module A1.2

Load weather charts into Compile report and send

weather module processor situational guidance to
A1.3 fusion center team A2.3

Load physical coordinates

data into location
identification module A1.4

Execute fusion application

processing function A1.5

Save processing job output

to server, email to detection
team A1.6

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