Systems Concepts in Action


Book Description

Systems Concepts in Action: A Practitioner's Toolkit offers out a wide range of systems methods to help readers investigate, evaluate and intervene in complex messy situations.




Systems of Systems


Book Description

In recent years, the systems designed to support activity in the fields of banking, health, transportation, space, aeronautics, defense, etc. have become increasingly larger and more complex. With the growing maturity of information and communication technologies, systems have been interconnected within growing networks, yielding new capabilities and services through the combination of system functionalities. This has led to a further increasing complexity that has to be managed in order to take advantage of these system integrations. The book is divided into two parts. The first part addresses the concept and practical illustrations of a “system of systems” and is a multidisciplinary introduction to the notion of a “systems of systems” that is discussed extensively in the current scientific and technical literature. After a critical comparison of the different definitions and a range of various practical illustrations, this part provides answers to key questions such as what a system of systems is and how its complexity can be mastered. The second part, described as “systems-of-systems engineering: methods and tools”, focuses on both engineering and modeling, and standardization issues that are critical to deal with the key steps in systems of systems engineering: namely eliciting stakeholder needs, architecture optimization, integration of constituent systems, qualification, and utilization.




Thinking in Systems


Book Description

The classic book on systems thinking—with more than half a million copies sold worldwide! "This is a fabulous book... This book opened my mind and reshaped the way I think about investing."—Forbes "Thinking in Systems is required reading for anyone hoping to run a successful company, community, or country. Learning how to think in systems is now part of change-agent literacy. And this is the best book of its kind."—Hunter Lovins In the years following her role as the lead author of the international bestseller, Limits to Growth—the first book to show the consequences of unchecked growth on a finite planet—Donella Meadows remained a pioneer of environmental and social analysis until her untimely death in 2001. Thinking in Systems is a concise and crucial book offering insight for problem solving on scales ranging from the personal to the global. Edited by the Sustainability Institute’s Diana Wright, this essential primer brings systems thinking out of the realm of computers and equations and into the tangible world, showing readers how to develop the systems-thinking skills that thought leaders across the globe consider critical for 21st-century life. Some of the biggest problems facing the world—war, hunger, poverty, and environmental degradation—are essentially system failures. They cannot be solved by fixing one piece in isolation from the others, because even seemingly minor details have enormous power to undermine the best efforts of too-narrow thinking. While readers will learn the conceptual tools and methods of systems thinking, the heart of the book is grander than methodology. Donella Meadows was known as much for nurturing positive outcomes as she was for delving into the science behind global dilemmas. She reminds readers to pay attention to what is important, not just what is quantifiable, to stay humble, and to stay a learner. In a world growing ever more complicated, crowded, and interdependent, Thinking in Systems helps readers avoid confusion and helplessness, the first step toward finding proactive and effective solutions.




Systems of Systems Engineering


Book Description

As technology presses forward, scientific projects are becoming increasingly complex. The international space station, for example, includes over 100 major components, carried aloft during 88 spaces flights which were organized by over 16 nations. The need for improved system integration between the elements of an overall larger technological system has sparked further development of systems of systems (SoS) as a solution for achieving interoperability and superior coordination between heterogeneous systems. Systems of Systems Engineering: Principles and Applications provides engineers with a definitive reference on this newly emerging technology, which is being embraced by such engineering giants as Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and Raytheon. The book covers the complete range of fundamental SoS topics, including modeling, simulation, architecture, control, communication, optimization, and applications. Containing the contributions of pioneers at the forefront of SoS development, the book also offers insight into applications in national security, transportation, energy, and defense as well as healthcare, the service industry, and information technology. System of systems (SoS) is still a relatively new concept, and in time numerous problems and open-ended issues must be addressed to realize its great potential. THis book offers a first look at this rapidly developing technology so that engineers are better equipped to face such challenges.




System of Systems Engineering


Book Description

This title puts together the viewpoints of all the key contributors and players in the SoSE community, and defines this discipline's challenges and their solutions.




Guide to Modeling and Simulation of Systems of Systems


Book Description

This user’s reference is a companion to the separate book also titled “Guide to Modelling and Simulation of Systems of Systems.” The principal book explicates integrated development environments to support virtual building and testing of systems of systems, covering in some depth the MS4 Modelling EnvironmentTM. This user’s reference provides a quick reference and exposition of the various concepts and functional features covered in that book. The topics in the user’s reference are grouped in alignment with the workflow displayed on the MS4 Modeling EnvironmentTM launch page, under the headings Atomic Models, System Entity Structure, Pruning SES, and Miscellaneous. For each feature, the reference discusses why we use it, when we should use it, and how to use it. Further comments and links to related features are also included.




Engineering and Operations of System of Systems


Book Description

Modern engineering systems are complex and multi-faceted, and must be flexible, adaptable, and fully integrated with the supply chain and other stakeholders to deliver an effective level of performance. Therefore, this book aims to create an operational view and new understanding of modern system design, commissioning, operation, services and support. It includes system of systems modelling and analysis techniques essential to develop whole of system in view of essential requirements. This book will address professional engineers/operations managers required to design, develop, implement and operate a complex socio-technical system containing many engineering systems. Key Features • Develops a holistic view of system of systems from all possible fields of interest • Introduces the idea of system configurability to understand system of systems in parallel with the typical, classical concepts of engineering systems design • Offers effective coverage of both the engineering aspects and operational aspects of systems of systems • Focuses on pragmatic viewpoints on how to analyze system of systems • Provides practical tools and methods for the readers to develop competence to configure and operate system of systems




Aircraft as a System of Systems


Book Description

This book provides a thorough analysis of how building aircraft taps into a huge pool of knowledge, how its complexity is also reflected in the numerous process links that exchange knowledge between different groups. But unlike conventional business processes, design processes do not follow one step after another - rather, a decision made at one point in the design is communicated to other areas of the design, which may in turn feed back new constraints that force the first decision to be revised.




Computer Networks


Book Description

Computer Networks: A Systems Approach, Fifth Edition, explores the key principles of computer networking, with examples drawn from the real world of network and protocol design. Using the Internet as the primary example, this best-selling and classic textbook explains various protocols and networking technologies. The systems-oriented approach encourages students to think about how individual network components fit into a larger, complex system of interactions. This book has a completely updated content with expanded coverage of the topics of utmost importance to networking professionals and students, including P2P, wireless, network security, and network applications such as e-mail and the Web, IP telephony and video streaming, and peer-to-peer file sharing. There is now increased focus on application layer issues where innovative and exciting research and design is currently the center of attention. Other topics include network design and architecture; the ways users can connect to a network; the concepts of switching, routing, and internetworking; end-to-end protocols; congestion control and resource allocation; and end-to-end data. Each chapter includes a problem statement, which introduces issues to be examined; shaded sidebars that elaborate on a topic or introduce a related advanced topic; What's Next? discussions that deal with emerging issues in research, the commercial world, or society; and exercises. This book is written for graduate or upper-division undergraduate classes in computer networking. It will also be useful for industry professionals retraining for network-related assignments, as well as for network practitioners seeking to understand the workings of network protocols and the big picture of networking. - Completely updated content with expanded coverage of the topics of utmost importance to networking professionals and students, including P2P, wireless, security, and applications - Increased focus on application layer issues where innovative and exciting research and design is currently the center of attention - Free downloadable network simulation software and lab experiments manual available




Architecture and Principles of Systems Engineering


Book Description

The rapid evolution of technical capabilities in the systems engineering (SE) community requires constant clarification of how to answer the following questions: What is Systems Architecture? How does it relate to Systems Engineering? What is the role of a Systems Architect? How should Systems Architecture be practiced?A perpetual reassessment of c