A Theoretical Foundation for IDEF0 Using Category Theory

Abstract

IDEF0 is a structured methodology in system engineering used to represent system functions. Category Theory is a branch of mathematics concerned with structures and relationships represented at a very high level of abstraction. Category Theory has recently attracted attention as a promising framework for developing a rigorous, formal theory for systems. As a contribution to this effort, we formulate IDEF0 using Category Theory. The formulation is largely one of translating between the specification of IDEF0 in natural language to the formal language of Category Theory.