Composition Model of Complex Virtual Instrument for Ocean Observing

Ocean observing in global and regional scale is an important part of Internet of Things. Traditional virtual instruments have their limitations when applied in ocean observing, resulting in poor data usability and low development efficiency. In this article, the complex virtual instruments with enhanced capabilities for ocean observing is introduced to realize cost-efficient developments, in which the objects related to ocean observing are managed uniformly, the common functions that can be reused are provided and the configuration that enable code reuse and visual developments are presented. Furthermore, the concept of composition model of complex virtual instrument for ocean observing is proposed, in which complex virtual instruments that act as four roles can be interconnected, by use of three operations. With the assistance of the composition model, the observation data of different observing systems can be exchanged and shared in multiple ways, and the development efficiency of processing software is improved. The model has been applied to practical developments to validate its feasibility and effectiveness.