The L1 Node Types viewpoint of NAF v4 is a diagram type that enables you to visualize the ArchitecturalDescription definition, which is used to summarize the architecture – the vision it implements, the conditions and locations at which the architecture is intended to be deployed at, the projects that are running or will run to enable the architecture, and so on.
The Architecture Has relationship allows you to relate the ArchitecturalDescription to its component values.
The ArchitecturalDescription definition is updated to reflect concepts that you model on the Summary and Overview diagram, and the other way round – you can create the definition, relate the architecture to these concepts, then drag-and-drop all the definitions on to the diagram to auto-create the diagram.
You may also use this viewpoint to model the architecture of the architecture itself – the WholeEnterprise, its Phases, and the OperationalArchitecture and ResourceArchitecture of each Phase.
In System Architect, the Phase of an Architecture (Current State, Future State, Future State Alternative, and so on) is typically represented by a Workspace (see Help sections on how to configure an encyclopedia for Workspaces.) You can use the Summary and Overview viewpoint to represent your architectures – specifying the encyclopedia and workspace name in the Description of each EnterprisePhase.
Note The Strategic Structure viewpoint (see C2 – Enterprise Vision) is used to relate the architecture’s Vision to its Goals, and so on, and the Summary and Overview: Conceptual viewpoint (see L2-L3 Logical Concept Viewpoint) is used to model the big-picture graphic of the Operational Architecture – equivalent to the OV-1 in DoDAF 2.
