The Things of the Internet of Things in BPMN

TLDR: The presented approach focuses on integrating the concept of the Internet of Things into the meta-model of the process modeling standard BPMN 2.0 as standard-conform as possible.

Abstract: The component “thing” of the Internet of Things does not yet exist in current business process modeling standards. The “thing” is the essential and central concept of the Internet of Things, and without its consideration we will not be able to model the business processes of the future, which will be able to measure or change states of objects in our real-world environment. The presented approach focuses on integrating the concept of the Internet of Things into the meta-model of the process modeling standard BPMN 2.0 as standard-conform as possible. By a terminological and conceptual delimitation, three components of the standard are examined and compared towards a possible expansion. By implementing the most appropriate solution, the new thing concept becomes usable for modelers, both as a graphical and machine-readable element.