A reference model for sustainable interoperability in networked enterprises: towards the foundation of EI science base

Enterprise interoperability (EI) is a well-established area of applied research studying the problems related with the lack of systems and applications' interoperability in organisations, and proposing novel solutions for EI problems. However, in spite of research efforts to date, the proper scientific needs for EI remain elusive. This lack prevents the generalisation and full reuse of the methods and tools that have been developed so far, and threatens the sustainability of EI. After presenting the motivations for a science-based EI, this article analyses neighbouring scientific domains in which features of interoperability can be identified and evaluated as a benchmark for developing a foundation of EI. It then proposes a conceptual reference model for the principal layers of interoperability practices, including the new practice of sustainability in interoperability on networked enterprises. Drawing upon concepts from complex-systems science, it suggests a CAS-based sustainable interoperability framework (CAS-SIF) for use in dynamic networks.