Runtime composition in dynamic system of systems: A systematic review of challenges, solutions, tools, and evaluation methods

Abstract

Context:Modern Systems of Systems (SoSs) increasingly operate in dynamic environments (e.g., smart cities, autonomous vehicles) where runtime composition—the on-the-fly discovery, integration, and coordination of constituent systems (CSs)—is crucial for adaptability. Despite growing interest, the literature lacks a cohesive synthesis of runtime composition in dynamic SoSs. Objective:This study synthesizes research on runtime composition in dynamic SoSs and identifies core challenges, solution strategies, supporting tools, and evaluation methods. Methods:We conducted a Systematic Literature Review (SLR), screening 1774 studies published between 2019 and 2024 and selecting 80 primary studies for thematic analysis (TA). Results:Challenges fall into four categories: modeling and analysis, resilient operations, system orchestration, and heterogeneity of CSs. Solutions span seven areas: co-simulation and digital twins, semantic ontologies, integration frameworks, adaptive architectures, middleware, formal methods, and AI-driven resilience. Service-oriented frameworks for composition and integration dominate tooling, while simulation platforms support evaluation. Interoperability across tools, limited cross-toolchain workflows, and the absence of standardized benchmarks remain key gaps. Evaluation approaches include simulation-based, implementation-driven, and human-centered studies, which have been applied in domains such as smart cities, healthcare, defense, and industrial automation. Conclusions:The synthesis reveals tensions, including autonomy versus coordination, the modeling-reality gap, and socio-technical integration. It calls for standardized evaluation metrics, scalable decentralized architectures, and cross-domain frameworks. The analysis aims to guide researchers and practitioners in developing and implementing dynamically composable SoSs.