Cyber-physical systems (CPS), robotics, the Internet of Things (IoT), and automotive systems are integral to modern technology. They are characterized by their safety criticality, accuracy, and real-time control requirements. Control software plays a crucial role in achieving these objectives by managing and coordinating the operations of various sub-systems. This paper presents a novel systematic mapping study (SMS) for control software engineering, analyzing 115 peer-reviewed papers. The study identifies, classifies, and maps existing solutions, providing a comprehensive and structured overview for practitioners and researchers. Our contributions include (i) a unique classification of literature into six research themes—engineering phases, engineering approaches, engineering paradigms, engineering artefacts, target application domains, and engineering concerns; (ii) insights into the specificity of approaches to target technologies and phases; (iii) the prominence of model-driven approaches for design and testing; (iv) the lack of end-to-end engineering support in existing approaches; and (v) the emerging role of agile-based methods versus the dominance of waterfall-based methods. This paper’s significance lies in its thorough analysis and the high-level mapping of the solution space, offering new perspectives and a detailed roadmap for future research and innovation in control software engineering. The findings will guide advancements and best practices in the field, underscoring the paper’s impact.

Control Software Engineering Approaches for Cyber-Physical Systems: A Systematic Mapping Study

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Journal Info

Category	Quartile
COMPUTER SCIENCE, INTERDISCIPLINARY APPLICATIONS	3