Towards Model-Based Adoption for Requirements Elicitation in Railway - the Role of Collaborative and Participatory Modelling

Systems Engineering (SE) is often visualised through distinct development stages. The first stages started in development relate to the system requirements with several sub-activities related to gathering, defining, and evaluating requirements. A necessity at this stage is the involvement of many heterogeneous stakeholders requiring efficient collaboration and communication to elicit requirements. In SE, models are emerging as a solution for managing complexity through abstraction, but also as a means of finding communication means and collaborative channels across traditional "silos" in development. In this paper we discuss the potential use of models at the early requirements stage in large industrial cyber-physical system development as a crucial enabler for further modelling activities, and how collaboration and participation of multiple internal and external stakeholders can be supported for requirements elicitation. We emphasise the overall modelling needs from the perspective of industrial railway projects, providing context for future research.