Efficient design of SCADA systems using minimum spanning trees and the NFR Framework

Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems are being increasingly used to monitor and control critical infrastructures ranging from computer networks to manufacturing, and proper design of SCADA systems is an important issue for developers of SCADA systems and their users. Current practice seems to center around purchasing a best-of-breed solution and configuring it to meet the expected system goals. In this paper we propose an efficient design approach based on minimum spanning trees and the NFR Framework(NFR standing for Non-Functional Requirements) wherein SCADA designs are captured in spanning trees and minimum spanning trees indicate the optimally weighted designs, and the most suitable among these weighted designs is chosen by employing the NFR Framework, which is a goal-oriented framework for analyzing competing alternatives and choosing the best one based on the goals for the SCADA system. The design algorithm is verified by applying it to a case study.